Alice
by reader13lovesbooks
Summary: Discontinued.
1. It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

Rosalie POV

Our family was currently in Biloxi, Mississippi. It was a rather storm year right now, so we had no worries about us being caught in the sunlight. It was the year 1987 – November, to be precise. I lived with my family… my very vampiric family. It consisted of me, of course, my "parents", Carlisle and Esme, my husband, Emmett, and my brothers, Edward and Jasper.

Jasper was the newest addition to our family. We had found him roaming around Canada somewhere back in the 1940s. He had been a nomad and a human drinker. But he was an empath, which caused him depression when he felt all of his victims' emotions. So he was easily convinced to join our lifestyle once he met us. Now he's just as much a part of the family as anyone else – though I would never admit that out loud, of course.

Emmett, Edward, Carlisle, and Jasper had gone out hunting earlier for a boys' night out. So now Esme and I were hanging around town for a girls' night out. The rain had started up again, and it looked like a pretty heavy storm was about to happen. It was around eleven o'clock at night. Esme and I decided to head on home now.

I was driving the car when I heard it – the sound of a baby's cry. I had always wanted a family of my own, ever since I could remember. But then _Royce_ changed all of that. I was turned into a vampire, who couldn't have children. I suppose that it would be a reasonable explanation as to my next action. I quickly pulled the car off to the side of the road and got out into the rain.

"Rosalie, what are you doing?" Esme asked me concernedly, getting out of the car. I was standing absolutely still, sniffing the air. There was a scent of chocolate and vanilla coming from the forest. I quickly followed it, with Esme hurrying along behind me.

The baby cried out again. Esme's eyes lit up with understanding as she sped up. She had also wanted children, too. But when she lost her baby, she tried to kill herself. Carlisle found her and changed her. The four of us – Emmett, Edward, Jasper, and I – substituted as her children. She understood my longing for a baby of my own, to care for and to love.

It was beginning to flood now. These Mississippi storms sure can get real down and heavy. I turned my head around and stared at a log. That was where the scent and cries were originating from. I hurriedly knelt down and peered inside.

There was a bundle of blankets inside the hollow of the log, while something moved around inside of it. I reached in and gently took the bundle out. Esme crouched down next to me and gasped when I shifted the pink blanket a little bit.

There was a gorgeous little baby girl. She was so tiny that she could probably have fit in the palm of Emmett's hand. Her hair was short and black, and her skin was rather pale, though of course not as much as ours. She looked to be about six months old, so that would mean that she was born somewhere around May.

She was fussing. I made "shh" noises while Esme cooed at her. The baby blinked open her beautiful sky blue eyes. Her tiny little hand reached out and tugged on my golden hair while a lovely smile broke out onto her face as she looked between Esme and me.

"She's beautiful," Esme cooed.

"I know," I sighed back. "We are definitely keeping her."

"Yes, we are." And I knew that the both of us had been taken under this adorable little baby girl's spell already, without her even trying. Then Esme paused in thought. "But what will the boys think?"

"I couldn't care less about what they think," I shot back. "We are keeping her. Or are we just going to be leaving her in this moldy log, risking letting her drown?"

Esme sighed. "Yes, of course we'll keep her." She checked her watch. "Oh, I think that we should get home now. And we'll need to buy some supplies for – hmm… what's her name going to be?"

I pondered this for a moment. "Oh, we can decide on that later. But for now, we really should be going so that poor little Baby Girl here won't get pneumonia or something."

We got up onto our feet and hurried back to my car. I unwillingly handed Baby Girl to Esme while I got into the driver's seat and sped off. But, what with my being a vampire, I could still drive, even though it was raining, and coo at Baby Girl at the same time. Her giggles were high pitched, but not an annoyingly high pitch like some of the human girls at school faked. Baby Girl's giggles were angelic and mesmerizing.

As soon as I pulled up the driveway, Esme and I ran out of the car and into the house. We gently set Baby Girl down on the couch and then proceeded to stare at her. She stared back at us, sucking on her thumb.

Esme slapped her forehead. "We are such idiots! We have to get her out of those clothes. They're still damp. She could get sick!"

I gasped and rushed forward to grab Baby Girl. Then I stopped. "Um… what do we dress her up in?" All of the stores were closed by now.

This would be a problem.

Esme thought about it for a bit. Then she smiled and raced upstairs. She came back down with one of Carlisle's old T-shirts. Picking up scissors, she began to work. A few seconds later, with some snips and snaps, she had a cute, homey little dress on Baby Girl, who smiled and petted her clothes gently. She was going to be a fashionista one day, for sure.

Then we heard another car pulling up, and four rowdy voices chatting cheerfully as they came towards the house.

Showtime.

**So! New story...Yeah. Like with several of my other stories, if you review, then you get a preview.**


	2. The Softest Thing is a Child's Caress

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to StantonDimitriCullen, SunnySkies4Life, Mznickwhite, margaretng, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, tiny-irritating-pixie, xFender'sGirlx, JSod93, justanotherditzyredhead, k-pattttttttz, .writing., Rachh93, retroteen, Ilove4everJasperHale, Lillianagreen, 217, Euffie, jackiehyde4eva, WishingHeart, Jazzy-kins, Agent 37-Adams, raindropsX, Jalice-Bedward-Rommett, Piperita, VampireCheeseWhiz. I am honestly surprised that I got so many reviews for the FIRST chapter!!! Thanks, everybody!  
**

The Softest Thing is a Child's Caress

Jasper POV

I gagged a bit as I bent down to drink the blood of the deer that I had just killed. It tasted disgusting, like blood. It was not at all like the delicious, succulent taste of human blood that I'd had so long ago…

Edward flashed me a warning look as he headed off to tackle a deer of his own. I just merely glanced back at him before continuing to drink. The horrible taste of animal blood was worth saving human lives, not feeling their horrible emotions just before they died.

So I sucked it up – literally. I even went to school now with the rest of my "siblings". It was a daily torture routine that I had to endure, and it sometimes didn't even feel like it would be worth it. Occasionally, I would even have the thought of leaving the Cullens and reverting back to my old lifestyle… but something was keeping me there, telling me to hold on. So I listened to the voice, even though I didn't know what it was. It wasn't my conscience, and it most certainly wasn't my soul.

A few more deer and a bear later, I was ready to leave. Emmett was still gloating over his success of three bears, though he really should keep his hunting habits down, unless he actually wants to make bears extinct in Mississippi. Edward was lounging by his car, looking bored. Carlisle was standing around, probably going over some sort of medical text in his mind.

Finally, Emmett came out of the trees, and we headed on back home. You know, it was sort of funny how Edward and I, the only two with powers in the family, were surrounded by couples and forced to feel or hear their thoughts when they did certain "activities". Well, I most certainly wasn't expecting to find a mate any time soon, so I just learned to deal with it.

Edward was pulling into the garage when I smelled it – a very delectable chocolate and vanilla scent. Venom rushed into my mouth, though I managed to control myself and stay inside the car. What the hell was a human doing inside our house?

I could see that the other three were just as confused as I was. Edward paused as he listened to Rosalie and Esme's thoughts, and then scowled. "They're reciting the Iliad inside their heads. I can't tell what they're thinking."

We sat inside the car for a few more seconds, until Emmett sighed very loudly and proclaimed, "What, are we chickens, or are we men – vampire men," he corrected himself quickly. "It's just a human inside the house. Surely we can all handle that?" He got out of the car and strolled inside the house. The rest of us exchanged looks and slowly followed him.

We were nearing the living room, where that delicious scent was originating from, when we heard Emmett cooing – wait. Emmett. _Cooing_.

"Aw, who's a cute wittle baby? You aw, you aw, yes, you aw!" he cooed to something that we couldn't see. Edward and I exchanged a glance before bursting out into laughter. Carlisle was attempting to hide an amused smirk.

"Emmett," Edward snickered. "What the hel –"

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, don't you dare finish that sentence!" Esme warned him. She turned to the little bundle of pink blankets in Rosalie's arms, where I now knew was the origin of the scent. Esme smiled and tickled something lying inside the blankets. "There's an extra lady in the house," she cooed.

"Can I hold her?" Emmett's eyes widened and looked hopeful as he pouted and held his hands out. Rosalie rolled her eyes and passed the bundle into his arms. Well, actually, the whole thing seemed to be able to fit inside his right palm. Emmett grinned broadly and tickled the thing. Then I heard the most beautiful laugh that I had ever heard in my entire century on this earth.

Edward and Carlisle moved over to look at the baby. They both awed when they saw her – I'm assuming that it's a she, because of all the pink. Then Carlisle stepped back, and a more serious expression settled on his face. "Esme, Rosalie, why do you have a baby?"

"We found her in the middle of the woods, inside a _hollow log_. It was almost flooding. We couldn't just leave her there!" Rosalie defended herself.

"Well, I suppose not… we'll drop her off at the orphanage tomorrow."

"_What_?" Esme screeched. "We're keeping her!"

Carlisle hesitated. He couldn't deny his mate anything. "Well…" A tiny hand poked out from the blankets and wrapped around his finger. Carlisle's expression softened as he smiled. "I guess we could keep her." He turned to Edward.

"Yes, I'm fine with keeping her… but the Volturi won't like this."

"Which is why they won't find out," Rosalie sniffed.

Carlisle turned to me. "Jasper?"

I hesitated and looked at the bundle. They could all tell that I was worried about my control. Rosalie took the bundle and passed it over to me. "Here, just hold her, Jasper. Then you'll see."

I slowly took the pile of blankets. Something squirmed inside and a head poked out. I stared at her. She stared back at me with those big, beautiful, blue eyes. Then her lips turned upwards into a smile as her small little hand touched my face. I felt a faint smile come.

"Edward, what's she thinking?" I asked.

Rosalie let out a little "_Yes_!" sound.

Edward looked at the baby and smiled. "She's still young, so her thoughts are incoherent, but… she's thinking about you, Jasper. She already loves you."

The baby giggled again and cuddled up against my chest, her eyes shutting, covered by her pale, lavender eyelids. Her teeny hands clutched at me shirt as she leaned her head against my neck.

"Aw, Jasper has the mother's touch," Emmett teased.

"Shut up," I muttered back. Judging by her emotions, she was sleeping already. Was she why I had stayed with the Cullens for so long? Was she what was keeping me here, even though she was only an infant still?

But no matter. I would stay here with her. I would go anywhere with her. For the first time in a century, I felt hope.

**Aww, Baby Girl's adorable! It's official (in my world). I can just imagine it - huge, muscular Emmett, COOING at a little baby that can fit in his hand, LOL. Remember, review = preview!**


	3. A Rose by Any Other Name

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to raindropsX, retroteen, Ilove4everJasperHale, Helewisetran, margaretng, Jalice-Bedward-Rommett, Mznickwhite, twilighter97, iluvshim, Frankie-J-Cullen, SunnySkies4Life, Rachh93, StantonDimitriCullen, Ambi Whitlock, justanotherditzyredhead, JSod93, xFender'sGirlx, CrAzEe AlPhAbEtIcA, xoxo-RaNdoM-pIxIE-xoxo, VampiricMirth, k-pattttttttz., ashleyahh, Jazzy-kins, Euffie, VampireCheeseWhiz, and CuttlefishRock**

A Rose by Any Other Name Would Smell Just as Sweet

Carlisle POV

The baby girl had been with us for only one night so far, and we had already all been enchanted by her. Rosalie was happy, because she could finally be the mother that she had always wanted to be. Emmett was happy, because Rosalie was happy, and because he would have someone else to play with now. Edward was happy, because he had something else to focus on now instead of brooding. My Esme was happy, because she finally had that baby around the house that she had always wanted.

And Jasper… I wasn't sure as to exactly why, but he was happy, of course. He was probably the happiest out of all of us. And it wasn't just because of his empath abilities and him being able to absorb the happy feelings of everyone else around him. Even without all of his powers, he would still be the happiest. Something about the baby just seemed to bring out the lighter side of him.

Edward and Emmett had already gone out to by some baby supplies. Her crib was set up, her room was decorated (by my Esme, of course), and her food was stored in the kitchen that we used to never have a use for.

But now, we were at the ultimate dilemma that all families had about babies…

Her name.

Of course, everyone had different ideas as to what we should name her. It was like a debate hall in here, only much less civilized, though debates had never been that civilized to begin with. We were going through pretty much every single name in all of the existing books.

"Lucy," Edward suggested.

Rosalie waved her hand at him. "No, that's a name that little girls give to dolls. How about… Diane?"

"Oh, please, does she look like a _Diane_ to you?" Edward waved his hand at Baby Girl, who was currently fascinated by Esme's caramel colored hair.

Emmett banged his face on the coffee table, wincing as it nearly broke in half. "Well, _I _say that we name her Caitlin!"

"Emmett, we are _not_ naming her anything Irish," Edward muttered. Emmett opened up his mouth. "_Or_ Scottish." Emmett frowned and leaned back.

"Aw, how about we call her Hilary?" Esme suggested.

They all paused and looked at Baby Girl. "Nah," they all decided, including Esme.

"What about Bailey?" I wondered.

"Eh… she doesn't look like a Bailey." Rosalie scrutinized Baby Girl.

"Why don't we just look and see what kinds of names that she likes?" Esme asked.

Edward knelt down in front of Baby Girl. "Hey, did you hear any names that you liked?"

Baby Girl shook her head furiously. I chuckled. She was just too adorable.

"Does it really matter what we name her?" Jasper asked. "She's still going to be the same baby… and the same girl when she grows up. It's not like her name will be changing her."

"It might," Rosalie muttered.

Emmett stood up. "We shall call her Tara!" he announced.

"NO," they all shouted back at the same time.

"How about Francesca? Or Katharina?" I asked.

"No, nothing Italian. It reminds me of the Volturi too much." Edward wrinkled his nose.

Baby Girl nodded her head in agreement with him. She seemed very intelligent for her age.

"I think it's because we're rubbing off on her," Edward told me. "Just last night, her thoughts were more of images and feelings. Now her thoughts are more coherent and understandable."

"Well, at this rate, we can expect her to be a genius, can't we?" I asked jokingly.

"You never know," Esme responded. Then her eyes lit up. "What about Clarimond? It means brilliant."

"Clarimond… no, she'll probably get teased at school." Emmett shook his head. "Here, I've got something not Irish or Scottish – Imala." He waved his huge hands around dramatically.

"Nothing Native American. That reminds me of those smelly mongrels at Washington," Rosalie snarled.

I glanced at Jasper. He nodded infinitesimally, and I felt a wave of calm wash throughout the room. Good. A moment later and there would be some fighting going on – over a _name_.

Baby Girl had a blank look come over her face. In a flash, everyone was gathered around her. Nothing we did fazed her. Then suddenly, she blinked and smiled up at us, nodding.

"Edward… what was that?" I asked him slowly.

"I don't know," he replied back, staring at Baby Girl. "It was very odd… I saw Jasper saying something, and she was being very happy about whatever he said."

"That worried me for a moment there," Jasper muttered. "Her emotions had totally and completely disappeared – I thought that something had happened to her.

"What's wrong with her? Is she sick? Is she in danger?" Rosalie asked frantically, taking Baby Girl from Esme's arms and rocking her back and forth hurriedly.

Baby Girl was looking up at us with wide eyes.

"She's feeling very… worried. And afraid, but not terrified, like monster-terrified," Jasper spoke slowly. "She's just scared of something… not of us, per se, but… _something_."

"I wonder why she was abandoned in the first place," I mused thoughtfully.

"I think that she's worrying that we'll abandon her, too," Edward said.

"What? Oh, Baby Girl." Rosalie looked down at her. "We're _never_ going to leave you, alright? You'll be the seventh Cullen in the family, always and forever. But first, we have to find your name."

The debate started up again.

"Elizabeth," Edward suggested. "It gives many opportunities for nicknames."

"We're not naming her after anybody," Rosalie snapped. "Otherwise I would've suggested Lillian or Anne a long time ago."

Jasper stood up and took Baby Girl from Rosalie's arms.

"Alice."

Baby Girl looked up at him and beamed, nodding her head up and down quickly.

So now Baby Girl would be Alice. Jasper cradled her in his arms as he strolled out of the room. And none of us worried about his control. We knew that he would already do anything for Alice Cullen.

Alice.

The name fit her very well.

**Yay! They named Baby Girl! Next chapter includes... well, I'm not going to tell you. But if you review, then I'll give you a preview of the next chapter!!!**


	4. Kids: They Dance Before They Learn

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to xFender'sGirlx, AmberlynotKimberly, VampiricMirth, margaretng, StantonDimitriCullen, JSod93, justanotherditzyredhead, Mznickwhite, raindropsX, Helewisetran, Shawnee21, ashleyahh, Euffie, twilighter97, k-pattttttttz, .writing., xoxo-RaNdoM-pIxIE-xoxo, Jazzy-kins, Franky-J-Cullen, skrappy1389, Piperita, CuttlefishRock, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, Rachh93, iluvshim, and SunnySkies4Life.**

Kids: They Dance Before they Learn There is Anything That Isn't Music

Edward POV

Alice had been with us for six months now. It was nearing May, which meant that it was almost her first birthday. We had argued and argued over when her exact birthday should be, just like we had argued over her name, until, once again, Jasper settled the whole argument with just one word.

"Seventh."

Then he picked up Alice and walked out of the room again.

Seven – it was perfect. It symbolized so many things. It represented her place in the family, as the seventh Cullen. It represented the seven colors of the rainbow, and how cheerful and happy and innocent she was… just like a rainbow.

Seven represented the average number of spots on ladybugs, which were Alice's current obsession. It represented the neutral number on a pH scale, and how Alice never seemed to be involved in any arguments, but just sat there and observed. She was never acidic, or to basic (blasé, rather).

It represented the Seven Virtues: chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, kindness, patience, humility. Alice was the most innocent and the sweetest being, alive or undead, that I had ever had the pleasure (or displeasure) of meeting.

It represented the number of dwarfs in the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was currently Alice's favorite fairy tale of all time.

It represented the lucky number of seven. We were all so lucky to have her in the family now.

And then my most favorite of them all – the legend that the seventh son of the seventh son would be a vampire. Of course, Alice was a girl, but it was still a bit ironic.

We were currently in Michigan now. We hadn't wanted to stay too long in Mississippi, just in case someone recognized Alice and demanded that we give her over to child services. We were far too attached to her now to do that. And Jasper would probably go on a killing spree before he would even consider letting Alice go. He hardly even ever let her out of his sight these days.

Well, except for now. He was currently on a hunting trip, though he would be back pretty soon. I was playing on my piano when I paused as I listened to Alice and Emmett's thoughts.

Alice's thoughts were becoming more coherent as she developed more, so I could understand her a tad bit better, though of course she was still not as advanced as a grown person yet. But she would be a genius, I was sure.

_Fun! Fun! Throw again! Throw again!_ I heard her thoughts mentally squeal as I saw the sky through her eyes. What the hell was going on? I tuned in onto Emmett's thoughts.

_Aw, the little midget is enjoying this! I love this game, too. This is so fun, I think – WHOA! Phew, I almost missed her for a second there. A quarter of a second later and Alice would have become splatter on the grass. Ah, well, what the others don't know won't hurt them… oh, shit, Edward's at home._

"_Emmett_!" I hissed, stalking outside. If he hurt my favorite sister in any way whatsoever, I was going to tear him apart and separate each piece into a different box. Then I'd leave the pieces for Jasper, so he could put him back together and tear him apart again. Then Rosalie could have the pieces and kill him. Maybe even Esme would like a turn at killing him.

I halted and stared with my mouth open as I saw Alice's teeny little body being flung up into the air as she screamed in laughter. _Fun! Fun!_

I ran over to a little field, where Emmett was lying down on his back, carelessly tossing her up and down into the sky as he kept his eyes shut.

"EMMETT!"

Emmett yelped and clambered up. I gasped as I saw Alice coming down just out of his reach, even at vampire speed. Suddenly, a white blur hurled out from the woods and leapt into the air, catching her just before she hit the ground. Jasper landed lightly on his feet while Alice giggled and clapped her hands, settling down in his arms. "Again, again!" she squealed. She was so far advanced for her age that she could speak more words than the average one year old.

Jasper slowly turned around. Even I was scared as I heard his thoughts. They were only about two things – one was about how he was worried about Alice and hoped that she was okay. The other half of his thoughts was focused on planning on how to kill Emmett.

Even though he had just hunted, Jasper's eyes were pitch black as he glared at Emmett.

"I. Will. _Kill_. You," Jasper enunciated slowly. Emmett's eyes widened as he slowly took a few steps back. Jasper was serious. I could hear his thoughts, after all.

Alice's eyes widened as she squirmed around in his arms. Finally, she managed to squeeze out and slide down his legs, plopping down on the ground. I watched in shock as she slowly stood up onto her feet and wobbled over to Emmett.

"Jazz. No kill. No kill!" Alice ordered, frowning, placing her tiny little hands on her hips. I had to stifle a chuckle then. She just looked much too adorable.

Jasper's eyes lightened up ever so slightly, and I could hear his thoughts change course, though he was still harboring murderous thoughts towards Emmett. Alice could get him to do anything.

Then I remembered. Alice had _walked_. Wasn't she supposed to be doing that in a few months? She really was an early developer, then.

I heard a car pull up. Rosalie, Esme, and Carlisle were hurrying over. They froze and stared in surprise at Alice, who was standing.

"Daddy!" Alice squealed, hobbling towards Carlisle.

_How is this possible… she shouldn't be doing this for a little bit longer._

_Oh, she's just so adorable!_

_My daughter is perfect, just like me! She's going to be the smartest of them all._

And so that was how all thoughts of murdering Emmett that particular day were forgotten.

**Ah ha, Emmett SOOOOO owes Alice. Oh, question! When exactly does the Twilight DVD come out? I know it's either March 21st, March 28th, or March 31st. Anyone know?  
**

**Remember, review = preview!  
**


	5. Everyone Has a Right to Be Insane

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to .writing., Mznickwhite, MalificentKnits, WishingHeart, 217, VampiricMirth, Horsegal93, Euffie, Ilove4everJasperHale, margaretng, Shawnee21, k-pattttttttz, Jaina 12, retroteen, skyechaos, Jazzy-kins, madeofawesome22, justjustice, xFender'sGirlx, silksoft96, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, liz, SunnySkies4Life, Rachh93, VampireCheeseWhiz, JSod93, raindropsX, justanothereditzyredhead, and AmberlynotKimberly.**

Everyone Has a Right to Be Insane

Alice POV

Yay! I was turning three today! I was a big girl now. I smiled proudly to myself and twirled around in my new pretty pink dress that Mommy Rosie had gotten for me today, just for my birthday.

I was lucky. I had a big family. I had a Mommy Rosie, a Momma Esme, a Poppa Carlisle, a Brother Edward, and BFAM Emmett. I had asked him what a "BFAM" was, and he said something about a "Brother From Another Mother". That's mean! I'm not a boy.

Then there was Jasper. Or Jazzy, like I liked to call him. He wasn't my daddy, or my brother. He was something else. But he was _my_ Jazzy. Mine, mine, mine.

I skipped over to my van-tree, with the big mirror and all of those making up stuff, and picked up my pink brush with the fancy handle, running it through my short, spiky black hair. I made someone cut my hair like that every once in a while. I hated long hair. If Rosie or Esme wouldn't do it, then I would go to Emmett or Jazzy. Emmett liked doing stuff to the "human", like he liked to call me. And Jazzy did anything that I wanted.

Oh, yeah, did I mention that my family is a family of vampires?

Yup, they are! They told me as soon as I asked them if they were vampires. They still had no idea how I knew that, even Edward, who could actually read my mind! But I just sang "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round" over and over again in my head, and he would stay out.

It was time for my birthday party! Of course, the only people there would be Jazzy, Edward, Emmett, Rosie, Esme, and Carlisle. I didn't know anybody else. But they're all that I need! I opened my door and skipped downstairs, where it was all dark.

Then the lights flickered on.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MUNCHKIN!" Emmett boomed as he balanced the pink birthday cake on top of his head. Rosie snatched it off of his head quickly before it could fall off.

"Happy birthday, Sweetie," Rosie sang as she set the cake down in front of me. I clapped my hands excitedly as Jazzy lifted me up and set me down on my special chair. I took a deep breath and blew out the candles.

_I wish that I could go to school soon!_ I thought as I watched the fire go out. Edward shook his head and chuckled.

"No, you don't," he laughed. Esme took out a cake cutter and cut out a slice of cake for me. I smiled and dug my hand into it, scooping up and handful of icing and smearing it all over my face. Carlisle smiled and took a picture of me. Emmett boomed with laughter and rolled over on the floor, laughing.

A sneaky smile spread on my face as I thought up a plan. Edward smirked in agreement. "Emmy?' I called out innocently.

"Yes, Ali?" he asked back, still not knowing what I was going to do.

"Don't you want any cake?" I held out a slice for him.

"No, but thanks anyway!"

"But – but –" I widened my eyes and stuck out my bottom lip. "It's my birthday!" I wailed loudly. I watched out of the corner of my eye Edward and Jazzy ducking under the table to laugh.

"Emmett, eat the cake!" Rosie hissed. Emmett's eyes widened in horror.

"But – it's _cake_!" he whined, grimacing.

I let out a sob and climbed out of my chair, toddling over to Esme. "Momma, Emmett's being mean to me!" I looked over my shoulder sneakily and winked at Jazzy and Edward, who started to laugh silently again.

"Emmett! Eat it!" Esme ordered.

"But –"

"_Eat it_!"

Emmett made a face as he picked up the plate and slowly began chewing the cake. I watched as his face turned into the funniest expressions that I had ever seen. Then my head started feeling funny, like it was going to explode.

_Emmett clapped his hands over his mouth and ran to the bathroom. "Sorry, can't hold it down anymore!" he gasped. Vomiting noises came. There was crying and screaming._

I was crying for real now as the hurt got bigger and bigger.

Jazzy was kneeling down in front of me. "Alice, what's wrong?"

"It hurts!" I wailed, grabbing my head. I was wobbling on my feet now and tottered back, hitting the wall. "MOMMY!" I screamed.

Rosie scooped me up. "Carlisle, what's wrong with her? _What's wrong with her_?" she screeched. Emmett clapped his hands over his mouth and ran to the bathroom. "Sorry, can't hold it down anymore!" he gasped. I could hear him throwing up. I was still crying. Rosie and Esme were still screaming.

Then cool hands took me from Rosie's arms. I blinked away tears as I looked into Jazzy's eyes. The hurt started to go away. I was so tired. I snuggled up into Jazzy's arms and started to go to sleep.

"What is wrong with Alice?" I could hear Esme ask worriedly.

"I don't know," I heard Carlisle say.

"I think," Edward said slowly, "that Alice is even more special than we had thought in the first place."

"What do you mean?" I heard Jazzy say.

"Right when the pain was starting, she had a… _vision_ of Emmett running to the bathroom and vomiting. Then a few seconds later, Emmett did just that."

No one talked for a bit. I was just about to fall asleep when I heard Emmett hurry back to the living room.

"A vision?" he asked excitedly.

"So you mean…" Carlisle whispered.

"I think that Alice is able to see the future," Edward announced quietly.

I could see the future? Was that what happened to me since I could remember? I would see things that would happen soon after. They happened in my dreams, too.

There was a little _whoosh_ noise, and I felt myself lying down on bed. I squinted a bit and saw Jazzy smiling sadly at me.

"Good night, Alice."

"I love you, Jazzy."

"I love you, too, Ali-girl." He kissed my cheek, and I smiled, falling asleep.

**Oh. Yeah. Seriously important chapter. Well, hope you enjoyed the mental video of Emmett eating pink cake and barfing it up. And, no - Jasper does NOT love Alice that way YET. He will, I promise. Right now, yes, he loves her, but in a... well, a guardian angel kind of way, I guess. Remember, review = preview!**


	6. Eat, Drink, and Be Scary

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to Mznickwhite, MaleficentKnits, Euffie, Ilove4everJasperHale, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, justjustice, Cane, Marrabelle, VampiricMirth, justanotherditzyredhead, keiraliz, x .x . Poker Face . x. x, addicted 2 edward, k-pattttttttz, ashleyahh, Jaina 12, retroteen, margaretng, .writing., Horsegal93, SunnySkies4Life, Jazzy-kins, VampireCheeseWhiz, silksoft96, tiny-irritating-pixie, JSod93, StantonDimitriCullen, Rachh93, skyechaos, and raindropsX.**

Eat, Drink, and Be Scary

Esme POV

"_Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat. If you don't, I don't care, I'll pull down your underwear_!" Alice sang as she skipped around the foyer, waiting for me to drive her to school. The others had already left.

I paused midway to getting my car keys. "Alice, where did you learn that song?"

"Emmett!" she replied cheerfully.

Ah. Emmett. I should have known. I picked up the shopping bag and handed it to her. "Don't forget your Halloween costume, sweetie."

Alice was now five years old and in kindergarten. We were currently living in Maine. Her class would be having a Halloween party later that day, and Emmett had helped her get her costume together. I really hope that it was something appropriate…

Alice squealed and grabbed the bag. "Thanks, Momma!"

I smiled. I loved it when she called me "Momma". Rosalie got "Mommy", and Carlisle got "Poppa". I went out to take Rosalie's car, as it was the only one available for use. Alice jumped into the backseat, and then leaned forward to turn on the radio.

"_It's going to be a clear night tonight, folks! So don't you worry about any rain ruining your Halloween. And the temperature is going to be just fine! Now, back to Jim on the traffic _–"

I got out of the car and took Alice's hand. She skipped down the hallway as I took her to class. I opened the door to a room full of loud, noisy kids who were all crazed about Halloween.

Mrs. Hager, the kindergarten teacher, was busy splitting up a little fight between two boys, so I said goodbye to Alice. She tugged on my hand to stop me.

"Remember, bring everyone back here at _three_, okay?" she asked.

"Of course, honey. Bye." I kissed her cheek and left.

"The little squirt's going to look amazing in her costume!" Emmett announced proudly as we all sat in Edward's car to get to Alice's school. Carlisle was going to be meeting us there.

"Ugh… stop singing the Barney theme song in your head, Emmett!" Edward complained from the driver's seat.

"Hey, it's the only way that will stop you from picking out the squirt's costume from my brain," Emmett replied defensively.

"Don't call her a squirt," Jasper snapped.

"Squirt. Squirty. Squirtette. Squirtita."

I hurriedly held Jasper back before he could lunge at Emmett. "Emmett, stop," I berated him. He looked out the window, twiddling his thumbs innocently.

Edward pulled the car up to the school and we all headed inside, meeting up with Carlisle along the way. The classroom was full of noise, and little kids were running around in their costumes, screaming in laughter. We paused beneath the finger paintings that were hung on a rafter.

"Where's Alice?" Jasper asked, scanning around the room for the little head of spiky, black hair.

"_**BLAH**_!"

I jumped and looked up. Alice was hanging upside down on the rafter, swing back and forth, flapping a black cape around. She grinned, showing off her plastic fangs. I gasped playfully. "Oh my goodness, what a scary little vampire! Carlisle, save me!" I pushed my husband in front of me.

Then it hit me. She was hanging upside down – on a _rafter_.

"Alice Cullen, get down from there!"

"No!" She pouted and crossed her arms, swinging around even more dangerously.

"Please?" I _could_ just grab her off of there myself, but then she'd be in a bad mood for the rest of the day.

"Hmm… NO!"

"Alice, could you please get off of there?" Jasper asked, stepping forward.

"Okay, Jazzy!" Alice unhooked her legs, falling. I breathed a sigh of relief when Jasper's arms reached out and caught her safely. I smiled. It was so funny how Alice, stubborn, little, determined, Alice, would do anything that Jasper asked her to, and how Jasper would do anything for her.

We went trick-or-treating later that night. That's right, all of us. Alice, wearing her adorable vampire costume, was skipping ahead of us at the front while Jasper trailed about a foot behind her. Then the rest of us followed.

Suddenly, Alice stumbled and began to fall. In a flash, Jasper reached out and caught her before she could hit the sidewalk. "My head hurts," she whispered.

She was having another vision. The pain had lessened since she had received her first noticeable one at her third birthday party, but they would still hurt somewhat, although Carlisle was very confident in the fact that, at this rate, the pain of having a vision would be completely gone when she was in her teenage years.

Edward scowled. "Those idiots," he muttered under his breath.

"What? Who are you talking about?" Emmett asked.

"You know those very irritating kids at school?"

"Oh, _them_," Rosalie spat.

"Yes, _them_. Well, it turns out that they're going to get bored in an hour or so, and they're planning on toilet papering and egging our house."

Oh. No. They are _not_ going to ruin my house!

"We're going home," I announced, turning around on my heel and starting back. Then I paused. "Well, Alice and Jasper can stay here and keep on trick-or-treating. I'm going home to make sure that they don't ruin my house."

"I want to come! I want to come! I want to come!" Alice squealed, jumping up and down in Jasper's arms.

Emmett grinned mischievously. "I've just thought of the perfect plan…" I hope I don't regret this.

An hour later, we were all positioned around the house. I was hiding in my precious garden. Jasper was helping Alice with her part.

Then I heard them coming.

"Ha, those Cullen snobs will get what's coming to them!" I heard a nasally voice say.

"Yeah – oh, look at that big fancy house of theirs. Rich asses," I heard a croaky voice mutter.

I saw a blur as Edward quickly dashed forward and took one end of their toilet paper and proceeded to race in a circle around them.

"It's getting windy," one of the voices whined.

Edward smirked and darted back to his hiding place, taking only a few seconds to do his part.

"WHOA!" The teenagers had gotten wrapped up in the toilet paper. "That is creepy…"

"Come on, let's get going. We don't want them to call the cops on us."

It was Emmett's turn. He had sneaked away their egg cartons, and he and Carlisle, who looked a bit hesitant, were carefully loading the eggs into their hands. I watched as the little white shapes launched across the sky. _Splat. Splat. Splat_.

"Ugh! Gross, there's egg on me! What the hell is going on here?" They began to grumble as they felt the sticky mess in their hair. I caught Rosalie's eye and nodded. It was our turn. I picked up some chains and began to rattle them while circling around the hooligans.

"Did you hear that?" one of them whispered.

"Ghosts!" another whimpered.

Rosalie picked up a white sheet and ran very quickly, though still visible, across the yard.

"_Oh my god_, I just saw something move!" one of the girls squeaked.

I looked up at the roof and saw Jasper carefully carrying Alice as he walked across. Earlier, we had connected a line (a VERY strong one) from the chimney to one of the trees. Jasper hooked her back to the string and pushed.

Alice made a high pitched squeal (of laughter) as she soared over them, flapping her cape. Edward was waiting at the tree and grabbed her when she got close enough.

"Let's get out of here!" the kids screamed as they ran off.

That'll teach them not to mess with my house.

Alice laughed and clapped her hands. "That was fun! Can we do it again?"

**Sigh... Alice is just so adorable! Hanging upside down and BLAH! :-) We had an interesting time in gym today. We were playing scooter handball, where we get these little flat boards on wheels (the scooters...) and play team handball that way. Our goals were these HUGE bins. My class faced the other class, one team each at a time. In my game, we were tied one to one, and I managed to get the ball. Everyone in my class was shouting "SHOOT!!!"**

**There was this girl from the other class, for some reason, leaning against the goal I was supposed to shoot in, with her arm propped on the side. So I was thinking, "Argh, what if she makes me miss? Ah well." Then I took a shot. And it ALMOST missed - it only got in because it bounced off of her arm and inside. **

**Wow...**

**And other stuff! There's this guy in my class who's pretty short and skinny. So while the teachers weren't looking, he hopped into one of the scoring bins and hid in there, until the ball came towards him, and he jumped up to bat it out. Kind of like one of those jack-in-the-box things, you know?**

**Later, that very same guy and his brother (same team) were playing when they started shoving the people on the opposite team off of their scooters. It was funny. They got in trouble... but it was funny. XD**

**Okay, I'm done. Remember, review = preview!  
**


	7. Once Upon a Time

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to retroteen, Euffie, keiraliz, justjustice, twilighterlover211, margaretng, Mznickwhite, SunnySkies4Life, VampireCheeseWhiz, StantonDimitriCullen, yummy food, xFender'sGirlx, VampiricMirth, iluvshim, Lila16Mn, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, Amanda, Jaina 12, Horsegal93, Jazzy-kins, silksoft96, CuttlefishRock, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, raindropsX, Briony97, and Rachh93.**

Once Upon a Time

Jasper POV

Alice was now nine years old already. I swear, just yesterday, she had been a little baby that Rosalie and Esme had brought home from a girls' night out. We were now living in Montana. I was playing a board game with her when she paused with the dice in her hand and looked up at me.

"Jazzy?"

"Yes, Alice?"

"Why do you have so many scars?"

I froze. I had been hoping that, in the past couple of years, she wouldn't have noticed all of the silver half moon scars littered across my body. But Alice was too smart and observant for that. After all, she had managed to finish reading and to absorb an unabridged version of _The Complete Sherlock Holmes_ last year. And she had solved the mysteries alongside the famous detective.

"I'm afraid that it's a story for another day," I replied evasively. "It's your turn, Ali."

She pouted and crossed her arms. "No! I want to know why."

I sighed and crossed my legs. She did the same.

"You know how Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, and Esme were all changed by Carlisle, and raised by his lifestyle?"

Alice nodded excitedly.

"I had a different upbringing than they did."

"What? Didn't Carlisle change you, too?"

"No, he didn't." I hesitated. "You know how we vampires are immortal and stay the same age forever?"

"Yup."

"I was born in the year 1843, in Texas."

"But… that's such a long time ago!" Her eyes were wide.

"That's right. It was 1860, and the Civil War was starting. You know what the Civil War was?"

"The North and South of the United States were fighting."

"Yeah. I was fighting for the South, the Confederates. I was only seventeen. Then, in 1863, when I was twenty years old, I was already a major in the army, which is a pretty high rank, especially for someone who was my age, not even counting my real age. I had lied to get into the army, you see. I hadn't been old enough then."

"But lying is bad."

I smiled. Esme had really drilled in some lessons into her head. "Yeah, but I lied to help my people… to get honor, you know. So I was at this place called Galveston. We were helping all of the women and children escape before the Northern soldiers arrived."

"Why would they want to kill them?"

"There are a lot of reasons why people kill each other. But that's a story for another day. And I mean it this time. Anyway, I was riding on my horse out to another place to help fight."

"What was your horse's name?"

"Uh…" I paused. Such a simple question, and I couldn't even answer it. "I'm not sure… it's not very important to the story… I _think_ his name was Dusty. So I was riding, when I saw them. There were three of the most beautiful women that I had ever seen."

"Even me?" Alice widened her eyes even more. I chuckled.

"No, _you're_ the most beautiful girl in the world." I smiled as she sat back, satisfied. "I got off of my horse to ask if they needed help. Their names were Lucy, Nettie… and Maria. They were talking about how _heavenly_ I smelled."

"Wouldn't that weird you out?"

"Actually, I was too scared to think about it much then. My horse was smart. He ran away when I got off of him. Maria, the leader of the three of them, sent Lucy and Nettie off to Galveston to hunt."

"_People_?"

"Yes. They're very different from this family. They drank human blood. After the other two went away, Maria changed me. And the transformation was very painful. It's nothing that I would ever wish on you."

"But I'm going to be a vampire someday!"

I stared, and then shook my head. "No, you're not. You'll stay human and have a nice life."

"I want to be a vampire! I want to be a vampire! I want to be a vampire!"

"What is going on here?" Rosalie demanded as the rest of the family entered the living room.

"I want to be a vampire!" Alice shouted.

"Of course you're going to be a vampire!" Emmett exclaimed. "I need a little sister to tease for an eternity."

"If Alice wishes it, I suppose," Carlisle said slowly.

"No, she can't. I won't send Alice to a life like this!" I shouted, standing up.

"The Volturi will find out about her! Would you rather her be a vampire, or be killed by them?" Carlisle asked.

I shook my head. How could I decide between that?

"I would never want my little sister to lose her soul," Edward spoke up. "But… Alice is just too pure and happy to lose her soul. I don't think that she'll lose her soul if she's changed."

I sighed. Alice winced, but then beamed. "Yay! You're going to change me! So when's this all going to happen?"

"Vision," Edward muttered.

"Alice isn't going to be older than me," Emmett declared. "So twenty or younger."

"Fine," I muttered."

Alice stomped her foot. "No, eighteen!"

"At least try college out as a human," I begged. "Nineteen?"

"Fine. Nineteen." Alice nodded, like she had just finished making a deal – which she had… and possibly the most important one in her life. "So what's the rest of the story, Jazzy?"

I shook my head and sat her on my lap. "I was raised to be a part of Maria's newborn army, where a bunch of newborns are all trained to fight other armies. It turned out that I had a power – to be able to sense and change emotions."

"Ooh! Make me… angry!" I smirked and did so. Alice began to scowl and glare at Emmett. "You ruined my shoes the other day!"

Emmett backed off. I quickly made Alice happy again.

"Maria recruited me as her second in command, because of my powers. She let me live past one year, the normal newborn mark. My job was to train newborns – which is how I got the scars. I also had to… dispose of the newborns when they turned one year old. My friend, Peter, got to be three years old and was helping me dispose of newborns, trying to persuade me to let some live. Then one newborn came in – Charlotte."

"Was she pretty?" Alice asked.

"Peter certainly thought so. He shouted for her to run, and they escaped. I let them go. A year later, Peter came back for me and told me how, in the north, vampires didn't fight over territories like us, and were peaceful. I went with him and Charlotte, who were now mates. But I was still unhappy. I could feel emotions of people I killed to feed on."

"You killed humans?" She wasn't scared – more of a sad feeling, for some reason.

"Yes, that was the way I was raise. I wandered around, until I came across Carlisle and his family. I joined them, and I've been with them ever since."

Alice was silent, and then – "Well, it has a happy ending!"

I chuckled. "Yes, it does."

**Alice = adorable little genius!!! Anyway, bad news.**

**I woke up sick this morning. I had a headache, sore throat, and a fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) and felt like c---. I slept for about half the day, and missed school, which I'd normally be happy about, but I had an essay and a fundraiser due today, AND a test. So my stuff is going to be late, and, sadly, there's going to be a day sometime soon when I have to get to school early :-( **

**Anyway, enough complaining from me! I'll probably be knocked out most of the weekend, but still, remember, review = preview!  
**


	8. Well, I'll Be a Monkey's Uncle

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to Jasmine-Rose3, keiraliz, Mznickwhite, SunnySkies4Life, addicted 2 edward, Euffie, Jazzy-kins, .writing., VampireCheeseWhiz, Ilove4everJasperHale, justjustice, xFender'sGirlx, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, margaretng, MalificentKnits, justanotherditzyredhead, teamjazz15, Horsegal93, retroteen, Briony97, VampiricMirth, 123ogla97, raindropsX, skyechaos, Rachh93, yummy food, iluvshim, k-pattttttttz, and THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN.**

Well, I'll Be a Monkey's Uncle

Emmett POV

Whoa, our little Alice was thirteen already! THIRTEEN! It's official. She. Is. Now. A. Teenager. Bring on the rebellion! I'm ready for the emo and the gothic and the black clothes and makeup and black nail polish and whatnot.

I'm ready…

Ready…

Ready-o…

Waiting…

No Rebel Alice? Well, that's a big relief! Now I don't have to deal with the crying and emotions and hormones and mood swings…

I'll leave that to Jasper.

On her thirteenth birthday, Carlisle gave Alice her very own credit card.

Big. Mistake.

She already spends more a month than the rest of us combined! She comes home every single day with clothes… and shoes… and clothes… and jewelry… and clothes… and purses… and clothes… and sunglasses… and clothes… and makeup…

Did I mention clothes?

Ah, well, just as long as it's not my money, then I'm cool with it. I'm cool.

"Die, you little Confederate, die!" I shouted at Jasper as we played Halo against each other. That's right, it's not supposed to come out until next year, but we have very good contacts in the video gaming industry. We now live in Canada.

"Take that, you hillbilly!" Jasper yelled back as he fired at me.

"Did you just call me a _hillbilly_?" I demanded, tossing away my remote. Alice, who was sifting through a fashion magazine on the couch nearby, looked up with interest at the upcoming fight.

"So what if I did?" Jasper asked cockily, dropping his remote.

"Oh, it's on." I lunged. He dodged. I lunged. He dodged. I lunged. He dodged. I lunged. He dodged. I lunged he dodged I lunged he dodged I lunged he dodged I lunged he dodged IlungedhedodgedIlungedhedodgedIlungedhedodgedIlungedhedodged –

Then I smelled it. Blood. I could resist it, but it was still tempting. It was human blood. But how could that be? Alice was the only human in the house, and she didn't have any cuts or wounds or anything. Jasper always checks –

Oh.

Damn.

Jasper.

I quickly turned around, ready to hold him back, but he was doing surprisingly well by himself. He was holding his breath and had turned away, shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth.

Alice looked worried as she stood up. "Jazzy, what's wrong? Emmett, what's wrong with him?"

I slowly moved myself in between her and Jasper. "Um… Alice, do you have any cuts or anything that you know about?"

Alice's brow furrowed. "No, why do you ask?" Then she looked at Jasper, and it hit her. "But… how is that possible? I'm not bleeding! I don't have any cuts!"

Rosalie dashed inside from the garage, where she was working on her car, upgrading it yet again. "What's going on, guys?"

"Well… Jasper and I smell human blood, and Alice is the only human in this house, but she doesn't have any cuts or wounds that we know of, so we are very confused," I replied.

Rosalie frowned as she thought. Then a light bulb lit up in her head (figuratively – not literally, of course not) as she walked to Alice's side. "Alice… it's time to have that talk."

Talk? The birds and the bees talk? But why would bleeding have to do with that? Or is it another talk that I don't know about? Because the only talk that sticks out from my human life is the one about the birds and the bees. Maybe it was a girls' talk? But what kind –

Oh.

OH!

Alice and Rosalie were now upstairs in Alice's room. "Ah! No, my jeans are ruined," Alice sighed sadly. So I was right!

"So… why do I smell blood?" Jasper muttered.

"Aw, our little Alice is growing up to be a woman now!" I fake sobbed proudly.

"Um… what?"

"She. Just. Got. Her. Monthly. Friend," I enunciated slowly.

"Her monthly f –" then it hit Jasper, too. "Her per –"

"Shush! Don't say the word! It's the forbidden word for us men. It is a strictly girls' only subject to chat about," I scolded him.

Jasper frowned. "So do does this mean that I have to stay away from Alice once a month now?"

"Uh… I don't know. Is the blood any more appealing to you than from a normal cut?"

"Actually, it's less appealing. I guess that it's because it's waste blood or something," Jasper mused. "Oh, wow, we're actually talking about the difference in different kinds of blood."

"Yeah…" I thought about it for a bit. "You know, this means that the little idiot human guys will start chasing after her."

Jasper clenched his fists. "Not if I can help it."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"No boyfriends for Alice until she's twenty five years old."

"But… she's never going to be twenty five years old, because we're going to change her at nineteen."

"Exactly," Jasper muttered.

"But what if it's a really nice guy?" Then I joked, "What if _you_ date her?"

Jasper didn't answer.

My jaw dropped. "Oh my god… you're actually serious," I marveled. "You – Alice – what – _huh_?"

"Drop it," he hissed.

I went into crazy overprotective older brother mode. "Are you _serious_, Jasper? She's seven years younger than you, and that's only physically!"

"I'm going to be staying twenty for a very long time, and she's going to be getting closer to my age," Jasper defended himself.

"But you're still going to be getting older! You're _one hundred and forty four years_ older than her, Jasper! How do you expect this to work out? And you've been acting like her older brother – nothing more – all these years. How the _hell_ did this happen?"

"I don't know, it just did!" he snapped back. "When I first saw her, I got this urge to protect Alice, to do everything that I could to keep her safe. It's developed into something else." He glowered at me. "Swear that you won't tell _anybody_ about this."

I glared back at him. "Fine," I relented. "But you had _better_ not be trying anything on her for a while yet. High school or later. Got that?"

"Of course I'm not going to be 'trying anything', Emmett!" We both stood in silence for a bit longer.

I sighed. "Well, at least this whole thing is going to give you more motivation to not suck her blood once a month."

This was getting very complicated. Now we just have to keep Edward out of our heads.

**Ooh, drama drama drama!!! **

**Oh, yeah, and to all you people who question things a lot - Jasper is NOT a pedophile, sheesh! It's nothing compared to those things you hear in the news about eight year olds getting married to thirty-eight year olds. (physical aspect - come on, think about Edward and Bella, Carlisle and Esme...)**

**Interesting how Emmett figures it out first, not Edward. And Edward's supposed to be the "observant one"...**

**Remember, review = preview!  
**


	9. I am Just a Child

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to Euffie, skyechaos, raindropsX, JSod93, margaretng, VampireCheeseWhiz, AmberlynotKimberly, justjustic, retroteen, iluvshim, MaleficentKnits, Ilove4everJasperHale, .writing., Mznickwhite, xFender'sGirlx, Rachh93, Shawnee21, StantonDimitriCullen, You'reTheMoon, Cassie.D 101, Amanda, justanotherditzyredhead, keiraliz, ashleyahh, VampiricMirth, yummy food, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, twilighter97, Jaina 12, Agent 37- Adams, k-pattttttttz, xoxo-RaNdoM-pIxIE-xoxo, Jazzy-kins, vampiricpen, Horsegal93, silksoft96, tiny-irritating-pixie, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, and SunnySkies4Life.**

I Am Just a Child, but I Have a Right to Words That Would Make Generations of Elders Turn Pale

Alice POV

I was fourteen years old – the apparent "rebellious" stage for most human teenagers. I was not most human teenagers. That much was obvious, as I never once felt even a slight urge to become rebellious. Why would I, when I have a family who loves me and dotes on me? And, I admit, gives me everything that I would ever want?

We had just moved to Alaska, with the Denali coven. It was _very_ funny to see Tanya chasing after Edward, though I would appreciate it if Irina stopped giving me condescending looks just because I was a human. I wasn't going to be human for long. At least Kate was fun to shop with. And Carmen and Eleazar were nice.

And then another strike against Irina – she kept flirting with my Jasper.

Hey – _my_ Jasper?

My Jasper… it sounds nice.

But he'd never look at me twice – although it does make me feel rather triumphant when he turns away Irina's advances. And, thanks to Irina, he now spends even more time with me to try to get away from her.

The Denali coven was absolutely shocked when they found out that I could see the future, especially Eleazar, who was the first one to find out because of _his_ power. They were very eager to see what my power would develop into when I turned into a vampire.

That's right, _when_, not _if_. Because I've gotten a vision, which is only a minor irritating feeling now when I receive one, which has shown up repeatedly, showing me as a vampire. So Jazzy can't do anything about it, no matter how much he wants to stop me from getting rid of my soul. But even Edward agrees that it would be impossible for me to lose my soul.

Even though I was fourteen years old, I was still in the eighth grade, for several reasons. I was certainly smart enough to be in normal ninth grade, and maybe even skip ahead, but, seriously, I'm just over four feet tall. And when we were in Montana, they took in my height and put me into a grade that I had just taken, despite what the rest of my family protested. So that shaved a year off of my education anyway, and here I am, in a grade lower. But I don't really care. I'm smarter than everyone else in my grade.

Aw, great, now I sound all snobby and stuck up…

But I still have to deal with the rest of my school fawning over how _attractive_ and _sweet_ and _good looking_ the rest of my family is. It makes me feel like chopped liver, though I suppose that I am, compared to them. But I hate it when people come up to me and ask to be my friends just so that they can get closer to my siblings, who are several years older than them, both physically and pretentiously.

And then there are the hormonal boys who talk to me to – well, talk to me. That flatters me, but seriously, could they get anymore _brainless_?

No offense to them.

And the others (others meaning Jazzy, Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie) always drop me off at my school every day before they head off to theirs, which means that they all see me getting out of Edward's shiny silver Volvo – which lets them know that the Cullens are "loaded", and gives them even more motivation to pretend to be my friend.

So I guess that I was really a loner or something. But compared to the rest of my family, I was a social butterfly. I guess that it's because I'm still a human and not vampire, so everyone else isn't as instinctively scared of me as they are of my family – which is very unfortunate, because it means that I get annoyed more.

I tapped my pencil against my chin, staring at my geometry homework. I was lying on my stomach on my bed, doing – of course – homework. It was so unfair. Jazzy, Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie could all do their homework in seconds, but it actually took me time! And they couldn't do it for me, because Carlisle and Esme believed in me doing my own homework. Blah.

I turned on my iPod, which was the latest music device and just came out this year. The rest of the kids at my school treated it like an alien. I thought that it was awesome. I flicked to a random song.

_You can dance, you can jive. Having the time of your life_.

ABBA. I mouthed the lines to Dancing Queen. This was where my short attention span came into play. I completely forgot about my homework and began jumping up and down on my bed, singing along to the song.

I could hear Emmett downstairs, singing along very loudly to the lyrics. I laughed at him, and he shouted up a muffled reply at me.

"_You are the dancing queen_," I sang, "_young and sweet, only seventeen._"

I lost my footing and started to tumble off of my bed, but then a very familiar pair of cool arms caught me just before I hit the ground.

"Are you alright, my _queen_?" Jasper laughed. I blushed as I straightened myself up.

"Yes, yes, perfectly fine," I replied in an extremely fake accent.

He smiled. "Would you like to take a walk with me?"

I bobbed my head up and down eagerly, before my eyes landed on my math homework, and the smile fell off of my face. "I have homework," I sighed disappointedly.

Jasper's eyes flickered between my binder and the door before he picked up my pencil. A second later, my homework was completely filled out, in a handwriting that perfectly imitated mine.

"There, your homework's done." He whistled innocently. I giggled.

"Okay, let's go take a walk now!" I tugged on his hand as I hurried us downstairs. I let him walk ahead a bit, before I leapt off of the stairs and landed on his back.

"Gotcha!" I giggled.

"You truly are a little monster," he chuckled, piggybacking me out of the house.

**So, a little into a more mature Alice's mind.**

**Yay, they like each other!!!**

**Well, sometimes, I advertise stories that I really like. So the one for today here is Breaking Beauty by .Slowly.**

**Summary: **Edward. Once a proud, arrogant millionaire he is now cold and alone. A beast. Bella. An innocent girl just learning to be a proper young lady in the modern world. A beauty. But fairytales aren't reality.

**Now, don't get me wrong, but this story is AWESOME. It's sort of based off Beauty and the Beast, but at the same time, it's not really. You have to read it to see. I. Love. It. It's another one of the few stories that get me all excited when I see it in my inbox.**

**Remember, review = preview!  
**


	10. It's as Easy as A, B, C

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to Jazzy-kins, Briony97, SunnySkies4Life, margaretng, StantonDimitriCullen, retroteen, justanotherditzyredhead, JSod93, skyechaos, Rachh93, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, Little Miss Magg, yummy food, Mznickwhite, MaleficentKnits, Amanda, keiraliz, justjustice, Flyingflower666'-'666, VampiricMirth, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, Jaina 12, Ilove4everJasperHale, twilighterlover211, iluvshim, addicted 2 edward, .writing., Horsegal93, silksoft96, and xFender'sGirlx.**

It's As Easy as A, B, C

Alice POV

This is it. I was now officially sixteen years old. We were still living in Alaska. I was still only four feet and ten inches. We would be moving in a year or so. And with each year, I got closer to the day when I would be changed into a vampire. Yes!

But now, there was an even more important matter at hand. It was the time, the difference between pass or fail in life, for every teenager to have ever lived.

Drivers' Ed.

I'd been training for this moment all my life. I observed as the rest of my family drove in their cars. I played racing video games with Emmett. Every time we saw an arcade, I would race inside and start playing on _their_ racing games.

Edward laughed. "Alice, you can't really believe that it would be that easy?"

"Yes, I can!" I shouted back defiantly. "I will _ace_ this test."

"You want to bet on that?" Edward challenged.

"Bet? Did someone say bet?" Emmett asked eagerly, rushing into the room.

"What's the wager?" I demanded, ignoring my giant monkey of a brother.

"If you don't ace the test, you have to wash my car – by hand." Edward smirked.

"And _when_ I ace the test," I shot back, glaring at him, "you have to buy me William Kinkaid's flute that was made in 1939 by the Verne Q. Powell Company, in _mint condition_."

"Alright. Deal." We shook hands. Emmett frowned.

"Aw, you guys forgot to include me!" he whined. "I would have bet on Alice."

"Why?" Edward asked, puzzled.

"Because of her psychic future power thing!"

"Ugh, I forgot about that," Edward muttered, covering his face with his hands. I smiled triumphantly.

"Ha, I see myself acing the test! You better go get a head start and look up that flute." I strutted away proudly.

I took the test the next day. I wrinkled my nose at the student drivers' car. It was a dusty black Toyota with seats that smelled like spilled coffee.

"Whoo wee, I sure don't feel jealous of you right now, Alice," Emmett gasped, waving the air in front of his face jokingly.

"Shut up," I muttered, stalking over to the car. My testing instructor was an elderly old lady who looked like one small gust of wind could blow her over in a second.

"Cullen Alice? Cullen Alice! Where is Cullen Alice?" she wheezed.

"It's Alice Cullen," I muttered.

"Okay, get over here, Alaska." She waved her hand over at me, and I plopped down in the driver's seat while Emmett and Edward laughed hysterically. Old Lady (my new nickname for her) squinted at her clipboard and looked up at me suspiciously. "Miss Len, are you sure that you're old enough to be driving? You look like a little kid, I mean."

I huffed. "For your information, I am sixteen years old. I'm just vertically challenged." I started the ignition and waited for her signal.

"Alright, alright, go."

I smoothly pulled out of the parking lot – and, I have to admit, just like a pro. Edward scowled at me as I waved at him. I am so going to win that William Kinkaid flute.

Jazzy smiled at me as I passed by him. Good luck, he mouthed. I smiled back at him as I turned onto the street. Old Lady and I waited at a stoplight.

Originally, my family hadn't wanted me to learn how to drive until after I was changed into a vampire, when I would be more indestructible and less easy to break in a car accident. But in my opinion, that took the whole fun out of driving, the adrenaline that I would feel when I raced along the streets, the thrill and fear of risking my life. I won the argument, though I, of course, didn't use these particular points for my side of the argument. Emmett and Edward had been on my side, and Carlisle was neutral.

The light changed to green. I drove ahead. "Turn left at the next turn," Old Lady announced. I turned left. We eventually got onto a freeway. Then I got a vision. A split second after I got it, it actually happened.

A white car had sharply pulled to the lane on its right. A motorcycle had been driving up that lane and hit the car when it made contact with the car in front of me. I screeched to a stop, while Old Lady began to freak out. The motorcyclist was lying on the ground, motionless.

I quickly got out of the car and ran over. "What's your name?" I shouted over all of the commotion as I knelt down by him.

"Pa – Patrick," he gasped, twitching his fingers.

"Okay, Patrick, I need you to stay still, lie down. My dad's a doctor, and he's going to be coming soon, okay?" The biker merely nodded before dropping his head down on the asphalt. I was already pulling out my cell phone and dialing the numbers.

"Alice, what is it?" Carlisle's voice asked.

"There's been an accident on the freeway just off the main street. There's a motorcyclist. He's in critical condition. Come quick, please!"

"We'll be right there. Make sure that he doesn't move!" He hung up. I took in a deep breath. "Alright, Patrick, don't move, okay? You have to keep still." I could hear a car pulling up.

"Patrick, my name is Carlisle, and I'm a doctor. I'm here to help." Carlisle knelt down by Patrick and quickly opened his medical bag. I could feel the rest of my family pulling me up.

"Well, that was a very eventful Driver's Ed. Lesson," Emmett commented.

I heard a car horn honking. It was Old Lady. "Miss Len, get back in here, or you won't be able to get a retest!" she warned me. I sighed.

"I have to go. See you later." I quickly ran back to the car and continued on with the lesson. I used my visions to tell me what to do. I aced it. Sweet!

I held up my paper proudly and waved it in front of Edward's face. "Ha! You owe me that flute, Edward!"

He scowled.

**This story is averaging over THIRTY reviews a chapter!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! **

**Me is happy. Me mom give me Twilight DVD when me sick Saturday. :D Me is inviting friends over for Twilight-fest! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**The wall in front of my laptop is now my little wall to tape stuff to. Like pictures I've drawn. And sticky notes to remind me of stuff.**

**OK! I have a challenge for my readers! I have a forum labeled something like "Great Debates: Twilight". There is a Jalice! category. It is for everyone who wants to write a Jalice fanfic, as long as it is within the rules that I give. More information is on the forum. If there are enough stories submitted, I'll open a community and link the stories there.**

**Remember, review = preview!  
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	11. Change is Inevitable

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to, keiraliz, Rachh93, SunnySkies4Life, retroteen, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, Agent 37- Adams, twilightlover211, StantonDimitriCullen, yummy food, MaleficentKnits, Flyingflower666'-'666, Mznickwhite, JSod93, VoldieBeth, VampiricMirth, Jazzy-kins, .writing., xFender'sGirlx, justanotherditzyredhead, Ilove4everJasperHale, 2honest4myowngood, k-pattttttttz, xoxo-RaNdoM-pIxIE-xoxo, Horsegal93, You-will-be-my-Squishy, madeofawesome22, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, Euffie, Briony97, and VampireCheeseWhiz.**

Change is Inevitable – Except from a Vending Machine

**The timeline is off, but, like in the title – it's inevitable. It has to be like this to make the story work. And they're also doing it like this so Alice can get her full education.**

Alice POV

"But – but, the place is named after an _eating utensil_! And there are no good shopping centers nearby! How can you possibly expect us to move there?" I whined to Carlisle.

"It's a small town, and it's the rainiest place in the continental US," he replied. "We've been there before, so we know what it's like. And who knows, you might actually like it there."

And so I found myself, at the age of seventeen years old in my junior year, moving to the little town of Forks, Washington, the most boring and dull place in the whole entire world. And I am not exaggerating. But at least the house was really beautiful. And I'd just have someone drive me to Seattle during the weekends, I suppose. That's right, Alice, think happy thoughts.

Edward was mocking me.

Edward and I were going to be juniors. Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett were going to be seniors. Carlisle was going to work at the hospital. They still didn't buy me my own car, so I still have to hitch a ride in Edward's Volvo, just like everyone else.

I hate waking up early for high school. I was stuck in the middle of the backseat, between Jasper and Emmett. I yawned and leaned on Jazzy for a little nap before school. Right before I shut my eyes, I saw Emmett glaring at Jasper with – a _warning_ look in his eyes?

What seemed like a few seconds later, Jasper was gently shaking me awake. "Alice, we're at school now," he whispered. "You have to get up."

"Meh." I snuggled against him, shutting my eyes again.

"Fine." I squeaked in alarm as he suddenly picked me up and took me out of the car. I could hear Edward and Emmett laughing, though Emmett's sounded a little more guarded for some reason.

I felt a cold raindrop hit my face. I sighed in defeat and jumped down from Jasper's arms. "Let's get inside already!" I demanded, jumping up and down while snatching my backpack from Emmett.

"The main office is just over there, in case you want to know." Edward pointed.

"No, really? I couldn't possibly tell from that big sign that says 'Main Office', now could I?" I shot back sarcastically. I danced ahead over to the main office while the others followed behind me. I pushed open the door and skipped up to the front desk before freezing. The secretary was an utter fashion disaster. Dyed red hair, bright purple T-shirt – simply ugh!

She looked up from her computer. "Yes, how may I help you?" she asked in a bored tone.

"Hi! I'm Alice Cullen, and this is my family. We're new here," I replied cheerfully to the fashion disaster.

"Oh, so you're the new family that's moved into town!" Her eyes drifted over to my siblings behind me, and her jaw dropped. I did not envy Edward right now. Her thoughts must be absolutely horrible. "Oh – um, well… here are your schedules." She hurriedly printed out our schedule cards, maps, and forms before shoving them into my arms. "First period starts in six minutes."

I noticed how her gaze lingered on Edward. _Oh, big brother, it looks like somebody has a crush on you!_ I sang in my head. He glared at me before snatching his papers from my hand and stalking off to his locker. I quickly handed Rosalie and Emmett's papers to their respective owners before tugging on Jasper's hand. "Come on, Jazzy, let's go find our lockers!" I pulled him off to the main building of the school.

People stared at us as we came down the hallway. I resisted the urge to glare at all of the girls who were ogling at my Jasper.

My Jasper.

What was going on with me?

I spotted my locker and dashed over to it. Jasper leaned against the locker next to mine while I unceremoniously dumped several of my books into my locker. "What classes do you have, Jazzy?" I peered at his schedule. "We have lunch and gym together. That's it?" I pouted.

Jasper chuckled softly and took my hand. "Don't worry, Alice, I'll walk you to each of your classes. So don't you dare let anyone else take my job, alright?"

"Of course not, Jazzy! Come on, I have biology right now." He stopped at the door to my classroom.

"I'll see you after class." He smiled and kissed my hand, before walking off. I walked into the class. Let the staring begin. Mr. Banner quickly signed my form and waved me off to some random seat in the back. I didn't have a partner, thankfully. People usually cheated off of me. I pulled out my sketchbook and began to draw.

"Why, hello there." Oh, great, another guy impersonating a "suave" celebrity. I looked up. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He looked a bit tanner than the rest of the people at Forks. He was tall, but my Jazzy was taller.

Again with the "my" part.

"Hi." I looked back down at my sketchbook again.

"I'm Crowley. Tyler Crowley." Ah, so he's a James Bond impersonator. How clichéd. "And you are?"

"Alice." I could literally see that he wasn't going to be leaving me alone until Mr. Banner looked up and ordered him to go back to his seat.

"So, Miss Wonderland, are you new to town?"

Miss Wonderland? Is he serious here? And of course I'm new to town. He's never seen me before, and Forks is a town where everyone knows each other.

"Don't call me that, please, and yes." Come on, look up, Mr. Banner, look up!

"Is there a boyfriend in the picture, or are you single like the number one?"

Okay, that is the stupidest pickup line that I've ever heard. Anywhere. Internet, television…

"Mr. Crowley, sit back down!" Mr. Banner barked. Tyler slouched off. I thanked the heavens for making Banner look up at that moment.

I eagerly waited for the end of class. Unfortunately, Tyler intercepted me on my way to the door. "So, _Alice_, can I walk you to your next class?"

"Actually, I believe that that's my job." Jasper wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Ready to go, Alice?"

"Yes, Jazzy." I waved goodbye at Tyler without looking back as Jasper took my books and led me to second period.

"I see that you've gotten an admirer already." His expression looked a bit weird. Maybe he was jealous? No, that was too much to hope for. He was probably more irritated that people were hitting on his little sister.

"I don't like him. He used the cheesiest moves on me." I made a face while he laughed. I was the only one who could make Jasper really, truly laugh. He might not be mine, but I was his.

**My review replies might start sounding emotionless for a while. One of my favorite fanfiction authors of all time, VampiricMirth, has left. I hope you come back soon, I love your work! And you're one of the few authors I've come across who are from Taiwan, too.**

**Review = preview.  
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	12. Friends are the Family You Choose

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to keiraliz, MaleficentKnits, Mznickwhite, 2honest4myowngood, margaretng, Agent 37- Adams, spinningleaves, VoldieBeth, yummy food, keeperofthesoup, teamjazz15, k-pattttttttz, xoxo-RaNdoM-pIxIE-xoxo, .writing., You-will-be-my-Squishy, Horsegal93, retroteen, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, Jazzy-kins, Flyingflower666'-'666, xFender'sGirlx, JSod93, justanotherditzyredhead, twilightfreakkandk, SunnySkies4Life, raindropsX, StantonDimitriCullen, iluvshim, ForgottenLovedOne, VampireCheeseWhiz, Briony97, block reino Cullen, and Little Miss Maggie.**

Friends are the Family You Choose for Yourself

Alice POV

"We're getting a new student at school!" I announced happily one evening. My family and I had been in Forks for several months now. People were still staring, but they ignored us for the most part.

And by "us", I meant Jasper, Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett.

For some reason, they kept talking to _me_. Angela Weber was my favorite out of all of them so far. The next one was Ben Cheney, who was this quiet boy who just sat there reading comics. He wasn't mean, but he wasn't too chatty, either. I saw him and Angela getting together sometime, but she had to go with Eric Yorkie to the spring dance first.

Then the other people were all blah. Jessica Stanley was a good person to talk about fashion with, but I still preferred Rosalie. And Jessica was too gossipy and talkative – even more than me! And that's saying something. Lauren Mallory – moving on!

Mike Newton was like a golden retriever. I could see him moving on to someone else soon, though – the new girl, Bella Swan. She had brown hair and brown eyes. I thought that she was pretty. I felt sorry for Bella, but for now, I was rejoicing in the fact that Mike would be off my back soon.

Eric Yorkie was… okay, I guess. I mean, he shows interest in me sometimes, but he's not all in my face about it, at least. Thankfully. And he had skin problems and oily hair. I was still trying to think of a subtle and polite way to recommend a good brand of shampoo and skin care products for him.

Tyler Crowley was absolutely _argh_. He would talk to me every day, so much that I was tempted to just plug my iPod into my ears and ignore him. He had asked me out several times already. I was sorely tempted to send Emmett to "have a little chat" with him. Emmett was very willing to do so, though every time we discussed this, Carlisle would always warn us about keeping a low profile.

Oh, and back to Bella Swan, the new girl – she was going to end up being my best friend! And she was going to – oh, wait.

_Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongBob SquarePants!_

I watched in satisfaction as Edward groaned and ran out of the room. Now, back to my now safe thoughts. Bella Swan was going to fall in love with Edward someday! And Edward was going to fall in love with her even sooner than that! And she was going to be a vampire someday, too! I wondered who would be changed first, me or her.

The next day, I managed to shrug off Tyler before I raced off to the cafeteria. Several people stopped to stare at me before going back to their food, but at least it was as bad as when we had first moved here. _Everyone_ had stopped eating and stared at us for half of lunch. I scanned the room for Bella Swan. I had seen her in Spanish class earlier, but she had been seated by Jessica, so I hadn't been able to get a chance to talk with her.

Then she came into the lunchroom with Jessica. Everyone stopped to stare at her, except for my family, who was waiting for me to go and sit with them. I walked over to Bella and Jessica, leaving behind my fairly confused siblings.

"Hi, Bella, I'm Alice Cullen, from your Spanish class!" I held out my hand to her. She took it shyly.

"Hi, Alice. How did you know to call me Bella? Everyone calls me Isabella when they first meet me."

"You seem more of a Bella girl," I replied cheerfully.

"Oh, thanks." She smiled. "Yeah, I saw you in Spanish class."

"So are you going to sit with Jessica and her friends for lunch today?" I asked.

"Yes, she is," Jessica interrupted, sounding jealous that I was stealing all of Bella's attention.

"Yeah… do you want to sit with us?" Bella offered, sounding hopeful.

"I'm sitting with my family today." I gestured to our table. "Do you want to sit with us tomorrow?" Jessica's eyes bugged out.

"Sure, I guess so." Bella smiled and waved. "See you later."

I smiled and headed back to my seat, sitting in front of my tray. My siblings were all staring at me. "What?" I asked innocently.

"Why did you ask the new girl to sit with us tomorrow?" Rosalie hissed.

"She's going to see the rest of us not eating anything," Emmett pointed out.

"Bella is going to become my best friend!" I replied cheerily, picking up my drink and taking a sip from it.

How could I have been so stupid as to not have seen Biology class for Edward? I felt rather depressed for all those days that he was gone in Denali. But I still made my attempts to speak with Bella, and it's safe to say that we're now very good friends. Then Edward came back. I was very irritated with him.

First, he would talk politely with Bella. Then he'd ignore her. It was very annoying. Bella was annoyed with him, too. Our annoyance with him united us even more, surprisingly.

To my delight, we finally became best friends. I always tried to get her shopping, but, most unfortunately, Bella was not a shopping kind of girl. But I did see that we would eventually go shopping together, even if she didn't like it.

But Jasper was acting off now. So I confronted him about it one morning.

"Jazzy, why are you acting so weird?"

"I'm not acting weird."

"Yes, you are. Whenever I talk to Bella, you're always very… weird," I finished lamely. He didn't like me talking to my best friend? Well, why not –

Oh.

"Jazzy, are you jealous that she's taking your role is best friend?" I teased. Jasper harrumphed and turned his back on me. "Don't worry, Jazzy. She's my girl best friend. You're my best, best friend." He smiled.

"Alright, as long as no one takes my spot."

**Still feeling slightly depressed.**

**But it does help the Adam Lambert looked totally sexy last night on American Idol. (Motown Week) :)**

**Just google "Adam Lambert pic".**

**Look at it.**

**Then google "Adam Lambert pic Motown Week".**

**Feel free to have your jaw dropped.**

**So. Still a bit sad. But - THANK YOU, AMERICAN IDOL.**

**Review = preview.  
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	13. The Course of True Love

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to justanotherditzyredhead, .writing., Briony97, keiraliz, margaretng, Mznickwhite, Sarah, discokiller, retroteen, VoldieBeth, raindropsX, Flyingflower666'-'666, yummy food, Amanda, You-will-be-my-Squishy, Little Miss Maggie, SunnySkies4Life, Euffie, twilightlover211, 2honest4myowngood, MaleficentKnits, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, xoxo-RaNdoM-pIxIE-xoxo, Ilove4everJasperHale, Horsegal93JSod93, Jazzy-kins, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, xFender'sGirlx, StantonDimitriCullen, VampireCheeseWhiz, k-pattttttttz, Mangobunny255, and iluvshim.**

The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth

Alice POV

It had snowed the previous night. When I had woken up this morning, I had run outside in my pajamas (a silk nightgown) and danced around barefoot in the snow. Jasper quickly ran out after me and carried me back inside before I got sick or contracted frostbite or something.

Now the roads were all icy and slick. And Edward was still driving as fast as ever, possibly forgetting that I was IN THE CAR, and I was STILL HUMAN, so therefore, I was still very EASILY BREAKABLE. Not that he could care, apparently.

As soon as Edward pulled into his parking space, I stumbled out of the car. "Land! Safe, safe, _unmoving_, land!" I gasped dramatically, waving my hands wildly around in the air.

I turned around to see Jasper and Emmett in a deep discussion. Edward's head snapped up as he stared at Jasper in utter disbelief, his eyes flickering over to me every once in a while. He moved over to join in on the conversation. Rosalie was busy admiring herself in her little compact mirror.

I watched as Bella, my new official best girl friend, slowly steered herself into the parking lot in her giant, red, rusty monster of a truck. I had decided to label it "The Thing". So now I could say things like "Bella needs to fix the Thing", or "Bella, can I borrow the Thing?" It was so unfair. She had her own car – nay, vehicle, no matter how… how… _used_, it was, while I didn't have anything but a bicycle.

I glanced back surreptitiously at my family. Jasper, Edward, and Emmett were still involved in their serious discussion, and Rosalie was studying her nails now, debating as to whether she should quickly add another coat of nail polish to them. I quickly yet carefully ran across to the other side of the parking lot to where Bella was just getting out of the Thing.

"Bella!" I greeted her cheerfully.

She smiled back. "Hey, Alice." She looked over at my family. "Um…"

"They're fighting. Again. But I guess that it's expected, since there _are_ five of us teenagers in one house." I smiled wryly. I was actually the only person who had actually been a teenager recently.

Bella turned around and looked down at the Thing's tires, smiling. I followed her gaze. "Charlie must have put them on this morning," she explained. I smiled, too. She thought (as did I) that it was sweet and caring of her father to put snow chains on her tires before he left for work that morning.

Then I got another flash vision, a vision that I received a second before it actually happened. "No," I gasped. "Bella, you have to get out of the way! MOVE!" I tried to pull her arm, but she was just standing there, frozen in shock as Tyler Crowley's van came racing towards us. If we didn't move soon, we'd be Alice and Bella pancakes.

I looked across the parking lot to my family. Just my luck, my shortness and an object in their line of sight caused them to not be able to see me and only saw Bella standing there. Then I saw Edward knocking Bella out of the way. On the way, one of Bella's flailing limbs knocked me down onto the ground.

Now this is where I actually do bless my own shortness, because I found myself staring at the bottom of Tyler's van, while my back was pressed against the asphalt of the parking lot. There was screaming as people surged forward, shouting Bella's name. No one had noticed me yet. I feel so loved.

"Edward! Where's Alice?" I heard Jasper's voice hissing. It made my heart soar at the knowledge that Jasper's first reaction was to wonder where I was.

"Her thoughts are originating from underneath the car," Edward replied shortly.

"_What_?" There was a bit of shuffling on the asphalt, and then cold hands gently moved me out from beneath the van. Jasper's golden eyes stared down worriedly at me.

"Hi, Jazzy," I mumbled.

"Alice, are you alright?" he asked urgently.

"I'm tired." I shut my eyes and cuddled up to him. I was seeing pretty flashes of rainbow colors behind my eyelids.

"Oh, my g – Emmett! Call Carlisle, now! Alice needs help!" Edward shouted.

"Alice? Alice! You have to stay awake! Alice…" Jasper's voice faded away.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Ugh, what was that beeping sound? I blinked open my eyes. White. Oh, so I was in the hospital, then. The door opened, and I saw Carlisle come in.

"Hi, Daddy."

He smiled. "I'm so glad to see that you're alright, Alice. Do you feel funny or anything…?"

"Hungry."

"Ah, well, Jasper's taking care of that right now." I felt a smile grow on my face as Jasper entered, holding a paper bag of food. "I need to go now and check on Miss Swan. If you'll excuse me..."

I eagerly grabbed the bag. "Thanks, Jazzy!" Mm, Chipotle. I took out the food and bit into it hungrily. Jasper chuckled.

"Alice, I –"

"LITTLE SISTER!" Emmett boomed, running into the hospital. I smiled, before it hit me.

"Hey, what are you guys all doing in here? It's a hospital, with blood, and –"

"Alice, if that was a problem, do you think that we'd be in here?" Jasper asked, chuckling. But I noticed that he still looked a little strained. "And Carlisle purposely put your room the furthest away from the operating rooms and everything."

"Okay." I took another bite. "What time is it?"

"Almost noon."

I nearly spat out the burrito. "_What_? I've been out for hours! What happened to me?"

"You hit your head pretty hard," Emmett chuckled. "Jasper here was all freaking out because the love of his existence was –" Emmett's eyes widened as he realized his Freudian slip. Jasper glared at him, while I just sat there in shock.

The love of his existence.

Was he talking about – _me_?

**Ooh, drama...**

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	14. The Sound of a Kiss Is Not so Loud

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to MaleficentKnits, JonasLove30, keiraliz, Euffie, Mznickwhite, Homegrl aka Amanda, ForgottenLovedOne, 123ogla97, .writing., karencita c28, Agent 37- Adams, oceansand588, justanotherditzyredhead, keeperofthesoup, madeofawesome22, 2honest4myowngood, ~LarissaBabE~, discokiller, siksoft96, You'reTheMoon, VoldieBeth, xoxo-RaNdoM-pIxIE-xoxo, You-will-be-my-Squishy, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, Horsegal93, Sarah, retroteen, Jazzy-kins, SunnySkies4Life, Briony97, block reino cullen, hush54, VampireCheeseWhiz, Flyingflower666'-'666, margaretng, justjustice, and R.L.N. Tonks.**

The Sound of a Kiss Is Not so Loud as That of a Cannon, but It's Echo Lasts a Great Deal Longer

Alice POV

After the van incident, the family was getting split even more as they all argued as to what to do with Bella Swan, my best girl friend. This was one of the times when I was most frustrated that I couldn't just call my visions at will. But I would take what I had.

Carlisle sat at the head of the dining table, that only I used. Edward and Esme sat on each side of him. Rosalie sat opposite of Carlisle. Emmett sat beside Rosalie.

And Jasper, my Jasper… he was leaning against the wall behind Rosalie. I had avoided him since the hospital incident. Then there was only me. But, I thought bitterly, does my opinion really count? After all, I'm "only human".

"Of course your opinion counts, Alice," Edward replied. "You're still just as much a part of the family as the rest of us." They were waiting for me. I shook my head and sat right in the middle. I listened to the arguments silently, wishing that, somehow, I would get a vision, anything at all.

Edward spoke. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put any of you at risk. It was thoughtless, and I take full responsibility for my hasty action."

"What do you mean, 'take full responsibility'?" Rosalie snapped. "Are you going to fix it?"

"Not the way you mean. I'm willing to leave now, if that makes things better."

No. He couldn't leave. Not again!

"No. No, Edward," Esme whispered.

"It's just a few years."

Emmett spoke up. "Esme's right, though. You can't go anywhere now. That would be the _opposite_ of helpful. We have to know what people are thinking, now more than ever."

"Alice will catch anything major," Edward argued.

Excuse me? If he hadn't noticed, my visions weren't exactly foolproof! And they're not exactly a "come hither" thing.

Then Carlisle spoke. "I think Emmett is right, Edward. The girl will be more likely to talk if you disappear. It's all of us leave, or none of us."

"She won't say anything," Edward insisted.

"You don't know her mind," Carlisle reminded.

"I know this much. Alice, back me up."

I stared at him. Was he serious? "Edward, how am I supposed to do this? The visions come to me. I can't decide what I see!"

They were shouting now, standing up, glaring outright at each other. The room seemed to get stuffier and more heated. Then Rosalie spoke up.

"It doesn't have to be any big production. The girl hit her head today. So maybe that injury turns out to be more serious than it looked. Every mortal goes to sleep with the chance of never waking up. The others would expect us to clean up after ourselves. Technically, that would make it Edward's job, but this is obviously beyond him. You know I'm capable of control. I would leave no evidence behind me."

"Oh, aren't you such a wonderful, perfect assassin?" Edward sneered. "So would you rather that I hadn't saved her, then?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying!" Rosalie hissed.

"So you'd rather that I had died, too, then?" I asked quietly. Everyone stared at me in shock.

"What? No!" Rosalie hastily tried to fix.

"Stop, please," I whispered. "Now let me get this straight. You're perfectly fine with Bella dying. But not me. What makes _my_ life more valuable than hers? Should Edward have just saved me and ignored Bella? None of you, _none of you_, even noticed that I was gone! Edward didn't even see me when he went to save Bella. I only survived because one of Bella's arms accidentally knocked me over. So if Edward hadn't saved her, I'd be dead, too. Think about _that_." I paused and added, "And she's going to be one of us – _you_, someday."

I stalked upstairs to my room, slamming the door shut. I glared at the little vase of flowers on my nightstand and picked it up. It shattered against the wall when I threw it.

"Whew, it sounds like little Alice has finally reached her rebellious stage," Emmett whistled. There was the sound of a slap. "Ow."

"Alice, can we talk?"

"No. Now _go away_, Jasper." I sat down on my bed and crossed my arms. He sat down opposite me, facing me.

"I have to talk to you, Alice," he said softly.

I sighed. "Fine, I'm listening."

"I'm only siding with Rosalie because I don't want anything to hurt you."

"So you're saying that Bella will hurt me?" I demanded. "You're saying that I shouldn't have any human friends at all? You support killing her, my best girl friend. If we had known about this beforehand, you would also have supported Edward not saving her. Would you have supported not saving _me_?"

"No. I would never let anything hurt you, Alice."

"So you think that killing my best girl friend wouldn't hurt me?"

"I wasn't thinking straight, Alice. All I was thinking was that I wouldn't ever let you be in danger of anything. Please, Alice."

I broke down. "Alright. I forgive you, Jazzy." I leaned forward to hug him.

"So, now can we talk about what happened in the hospital?" he asked.

"Um… sure. I guess." I took a deep breath. "When Emmett said 'the love of your existence'…"

"I meant you, Alice. I love you." His eyes were burning with the truth of his words. As I stared into them, I realized –

I love Jasper.

"I love you, too, Jazzy." I curled up into his arms. "So… how long for you?"

"A while. But don't worry, nothing before your teenage years."

I smiled. "Same thing for me." I paused. "You know, I've never been kissed before."

"Well, Miss Cullen, may I steal your first kiss?"

"Sure thing." Jasper tilted my chin up, and slowly leaned forward. I gasped when our lips met. It was like a universe had exploded in celebration, like giant, mega fireworks. Oh, god…

My body was burning with a freezing fire, like the feeling of Hell actually freezing over… a wonderful sensation.

My head was spinning, but I still felt safe and secure, because I knew that Jasper would catch me.

I was soaring, with my heads in the clouds, because why would I need to stay practical and logical when I had Jasper with me?

"That was…" I trailed off.

"The most amazing thing that I have ever experienced," Jasper finished. He smiled. "So what does this make me now, your boyfriend?"

"You're more than just a boy, Jazzy. More like… my soul mate." I smiled into his chest. Perfect.

**I read over the end of this chapter again. It made me smile. Hope you guys like it, too.**

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	15. You Can Get All A's and Still Flunk Life

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to StantonDimitriCullen, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, margaretng, Mznickwhite, retroteen, JSod93, 2honest4myowngood, Jalice-Bedward-Rommett, VoldieBeth, justanotherditzyredhead, veryannoyed, Nilya2397, ~LarissaBabE~, xFender'sGirlx, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, StantonDimitriCullen, prettykitty8694, R.L.N. Tonks, Euffie, iluvshim, VampireCheeseWhiz, 123ogla97, raindropsX, keiraliz, twilightlover211, Ambi Whitlock, Sarah, yummy food, k-pattttttttz, deddy2die4, Agent 37- Adams, .writing., Horsegal93, Flyingflower666'-'666, xoxo-RaNdoM-pIxIE-xoxo, Little Miss Maggie, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, Beauty Eclipsed, Homegrl aka Amanda, Jazzy-kins, You-will-be-my-Squishy, Ilove4everJasperHale, laughing bubbles 18, silksoft96, keeperofthesoup, MaleficentKnits, vampiricpen, JustWantsToFly, and Charlotte 1993. **

You Can Get All A's and Still Flunk Life

Alice POV

It was a few days after the van incident, and the hospital incident, and the great debate… and the Jazzy incident (which was, in my opinion, the only real positive incident). Jasper and I had still not yet publicly declared our relationship to the school.

Edward had gone back to ignoring Bella again. Once again, the two of us girls vented our frustration by complaining about Edward – which was actually really fun.

Then I saw… _the poster_.

It advertised the annual Sadie Hawkins spring dance at Forks High School – in other words, it was a girls' choice dance. I considered going with Jasper, but then decided against it. The others had probably all gone to so many dances that it bored them now.

"Alice!"

I cringed. "What do you want, Tyler?"

"I'd like to apologize for the van incident with you the other day, so to make it up to you, I'd like it if you would go to the spring dance with me."

"No, thanks."

"Why not?" he whined.

I quickly got a vision.

_Bella was talking with Mike. "I'm going to Seattle that day."_

"Because I've already made plans to go with Bella to Seattle that day."

"Can't the two of you go any other weekend?" he complained.

"No. And besides, even if I was going to the dance, there's already been someone else on the waiting list. Sorry!" I sang without sounding very sorry at all.

The bell rang, and Mr. Banner came into the classroom. "Mr. Crowley, get back into your seat," he ordered. "Now, today, we will be doing blood typing."

What? Why hadn't I seen this? Would I have enough time to warn the others before it was time for them to go to science? I needed to tell them to avoid the science hallway for today.

"The local Red Cross is having its usual blood drive, so you might be considering going up there to donate. Which is why I have decided that, for today, we shall be finding out our blood types. Like so." He took the hand of one of the boys sitting near the front and pricked his finger. A single drop of crimson blood dripped down the palm of his hand.

I briefly wondered why, with a father who was a doctor, I had never gotten my blood tested before. Maybe my family's vampire condition had something to do with it.

Yeah, probably.

I picked up the sterile needle that had been passed out to me. I briefly got a vision of Bella nearly fainting in her Biology class because of the smell of blood (remarkably, she could actually _smell_ the blood, which was something that humans were not usually able to do – not even I could do it, and I grew up around vampires). I carefully made a little prick on my finger and let a single drop of blood fall onto the card in front of me.

I opened my textbook and flipped to the page with the blood typing charts, and then frowned. I carefully studied my blood drop again, and then looked at the chart.

"Um… Mr. Banner?" I called out, raising my hand. I placed a band-aid on my finger as he came over.

"Yes, what is it, Miss Cullen?"

"I can't tell what blood type I have. It doesn't match any of the ones on here." Mr. Banner frowned and picked up my textbook, then peered over at my card. Then he looked back at the textbook – and back to the card.

"You're right, it doesn't match any of the ones on here," he marveled. He cautiously picked up my card. "I'm going to take this with me and try to identify the blood type, alright?"

"Okay." I shrugged. Maybe it was just a printing mistake, I suppose?

The bell rang, and I quickly got out of class and headed into the hallway to intercept Jasper before he could get close enough.

"We're blood typing today. You might want to skip science today," I sang as I skipped up to him.

"Oh. Well, thanks for telling me, Alice." He smiled. "Shall we?"

As we walked down the hall, I talked. "And Tyler Crowley asked me out to the dance." I made a face. "I said no, of course."

"But isn't it supposed to be girls' choice?" Jasper asked.

"Your point?"

He grinned and chuckled. "Ah, point taken. So you said that you were blood typing today. What's your blood type?"

"I don't know. Not even Mr. Banner knows yet. He's going to look it up a bit more." I shrugged. "Come on, let's go!"

I passed by Bella in the hallway. "Bella, can I come with you to Seattle?" I called.

"Um, sure. Bye, Alice!" She waved at me.

Later that day, Jasper walked me to lunch. "So I take it that you won't be going to the spring dance?"

"No. Because then Tyler will be bugging me all night for a dance." I made a face.

"Well, good thing that you're not going, because I want to keep you all to myself." I smiled and leaned against Jasper while he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"Pixie!" Emmett boomed, pulling me away from Jasper as we entered the cafeteria. "What's up?" Rosalie and Edward drifted up behind him.

"Oh, yeah, there's blood typing in Biology today. Try to avoid the science hall," I replied cheerfully.

"So what's your blood type? Jasper's?" Emmett laughed at his own joke. Rosalie scowled at Jasper. She still wasn't used to Jasper, her brother, dating her "daughter", me.

"Mr. Banner hasn't figured it out yet." I paused and stared at one of the vending machines. "Jazzy, can you buy me some chocolate?"

"No. No chocolate for Alice," Rosalie retorted firmly. "I don't want her getting to hyper."

I pouted and slouched off to the lunch line to get my food, the rest of my family following me. I plopped down at my seat and gulped down my chocolate milk, which was the only thing chocolate that Rosalie would let me buy.

"Miss Cullen! Miss Cullen!" Mr. Banner shouted, running into the cafeteria. Everyone stopped to stare. "I have your blood type." I noticed Edward stiffening.

"What is it?" I asked eagerly, reaching for the paper.

He took a deep breath, looking very bewildered. "Well… it's… well…"

"Just spit it out already," Rosalie muttered under her breath.

"You have… Bombay blood type."

What?

"Bombay blood type. It is the rarest blood type in the world," Edward replied flatly. "You can actually count the exact number of people who have it."

And I was going to be added to that number.

I wonder if this has any reason to do with why my family keeps saying that my blood smells nice.

**Rare blood + Vampire family = O.O**

**No idea what I was thinking when I wrote this chapter. I was just having trouble deciding which blood type to give Alice. And... here we are.**

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	16. But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to yummy food, prettykitty8694, keiraliz, Euffie, margaretng, JSod93, karencita c28, Flyingflower666'-'666, oceansand58, Sarah, Mznickwhite, justanotherditzyredhead, R.L.N. Tonks, .writing., discokiller, k-pattttttttz, Briony97, Nilya2397, Charlotte 1993, MaleficentKnits, deddy2die4, Homegrl aka Amanda, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, JonasLove30, JustWantsToFly, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, Agent 37- Adams, Beauty Eclipsed, iluvshim, CrAzYDuKeDoGgIrL2009, StantonDimitriCullen, twilightlover211, xFender'sGirlx, 2honest4myowngood, You-will-be-my-Squishy, cheworbitgum, xoxo-RaNdoM-pIxIE-xoxo, VoldieBeth, sakuracsyaoran-harryxdraco, Jazzy-kins, block reino Cullen, and retroteen.**

I'd Tell You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You

Alice POV

I stared in awe at the small container of thick, red liquid. "That's really my blood? _My_ blood? My extremely rare Bombay blood?" I marveled. "You know what, maybe I should just go sell it on eBay."

Carlisle chuckled as he gently took the container of blood away from me. "No, Alice, we need this for just in case there's ever an incident where you'll need a blood transfusion. It was actually very lucky that day with the van that you didn't cut yourself, because otherwise we wouldn't have had any blood to transfuse into you."

"Wow." I turned to look at my arm. It was bandaged up. "So I'm going to be tired and woozy for the next couple of days?"

"Pretty much."

Emmett sniffed the air. "Whoa, I can actually smell the decrease in amount of blood in you!" he gasped. "Awesome."

I stuck my tongue out at him and settled into my bed for a few days of no action. Jasper chuckled and settled down right next to me.

When Carlisle finally deemed me in good condition to go back to school, I was back to my chipper, slightly hyper mood. I spotted my best girl friend walking through the crowd.

"Bella!" She turned around as I dashed over to her.

"Alice, you're finally back! So you donated your blood?"

"Yup. I got to see my own blood and everything." I grinned. She made a face.

"Oh, Alice, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Sure, what is it?" Bella _never_ asked for favors. This should be very important.

"Mike invited me to hang out with everyone else at La Push this weekend. But I'd feel better if someone that I really, _really_ trusted would come with me. So could you please tag along?" Her eyes were wide.

"Okay, I'll go! Where are we meeting?"

"In front of Newton's Outfitters on Saturday morning." Then her brow furrowed. "Wait, I'm confused…"

"What is it?"

"I asked Edward, your brother, if he wanted to come along on Saturday." Bella was blushing now. "But he said something about your family not allowed to go to La Push. So how come you can go?"

I really didn't know. "I really don't know. I'll have to ask my family about that. Dang it, I was hoping that I could bring Jasper along with me."

"Jasper? Why Jasper?"

"Bye!" I ran back to my family. I placed my hands on my hips and put my determined face on. "So why aren't you guys allowed to go to La Push?"

They all exchanged a look. Jasper wrapped his arm around me. "Well… I actually wasn't with the family when they last came here, but, apparently, there are some werewolves that live in La Push."

Werewolves. Seriously?

"Yes, Alice, there really are werewolves. And no, they aren't the full moon kind of werewolf. Hollywood messed that up very badly. They transform when they're feeling a very strong wave of emotion, which is usually anger," Edward explained. "Which means that you should try very hard to not anger any of the locals down there, if you ever go. Last time, we made a treaty with them that said that neither of us was allowed to enter each other's territory. The deal that we made was that as long as we didn't bite any humans, they wouldn't reveal our secret."

"And werewolves smell _very_, very bad," Emmett added, wrinkling his nose. "Well, at least to us. To humans, there's not much difference in their smell."

"Ah. Okay. Well, I'll keep that in mind for when Bella and I head down to La Push on Saturday!" I turned around to go back to my class.

"Whoa, whoa, you are _not_ going to La Push, young lady!" Rosalie ordered.

"Yes, I am. And besides, just consider this a… a spy mission or something!" I suggested brightly. "I can go listen for any werewolf chat or secret plans or something."

Emmett laughed. "Spy mission, cool… I'm all for letting Alice go to La Push!"

I glared at Edward. If the rest of them didn't let me go to La Push on Saturday, then I'd just have Emmett drive me. And Jasper would do anything for me, if I tried hard enough.

Edward sighed. "Fine, you can go down to La Push."

So that was how, on Saturday, I found myself on the way down to La Push. Unfortunately no one had bothered to tell me that Tyler was also going to be on the beach trip. Fortunately, however, he was in a totally different vehicle from where I was, so I didn't have to endure his constant "come on, go out with me's" on the trip to First Beach.

Bella and I were sitting by the bonfire when a group of local boys came by to mingle with the group. One of the boys, who looked to be a year or two younger than Bella and I, sat down next to her.

"Hey, I'm Jacob Black," he said to us. Then he turned to Bella. "Do you remember me? When we were younger, we used to play together."

Bella thought about it for a bit. "Oh, Jacob. How are your sisters?"

"Rachel and Rebecca are in college."

"Do you guys want to go take a walk?" Jacob asked hopefully. Bella and I agreed and got up. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a group of three other boys – men – looking at me very carefully.

"Who are they?"

"Oh." Jacob made a face. "That's Sam Uley, and his little group, Jared and Paul. They used to be okay, but they changed. So, have the two of you ever heard about the La Push werewolf myths?"

I listened in fascination as Jacob practically gave me my family history that no one had ever bothered to tell me. Then he turned to face me. "Hey, aren't you Alice Cullen?"

"Yup, that's me."

Jacob cracked a grin. "Well, Sam and his little group have been gossiping like old ladies recently, and your name's come up once or twice. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that they were trying to kidnap you or something!"

**More drama. Ooh. **

**And question. Did anyone see the Twilight trailer? There were several of them, but the one I'm talking about is the first one they gave you on the Twilight Movie site. It starts out with these ominous rolling clouds moving very quickly, and there's this very dramatic music that sounds like something from ancient Greece or something. Anyone know what the music is called? I really want to know! People who tell me the right song title - or genre, if there's no particular title - get an EXTENDED preview.**

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	17. Turn Me Loose!

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to Beauty Eclipsed, silksoft96, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, Jkb-hotterthanEdwardsince1990, xFender'sGirlx, JustWantsToFly, raindropsX, Rachh93, VoldieBeth, MaleficentKnits, Homegrl aka Amanda, deddy2die4, justanotherditzyredhead, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, karencita c28, Briony97, dazzlinggoldeneyes3, block reino Cullen, .writing., prettykitty8694, Charlotte 1993, JSod93, VampireCheeseWhiz, Mznickwhite, Little Miss Maggie, Euffie, Flyingflower666'-'666, StantonDimitriCullen, k3la, hush54, Agent 37- Adams, RIP Nat Ember ILoveYou, R.L.N. Tonks, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, 2honest4myowngood, keiraliz, jazzie-luvs-me-22, keeperofthesoup, xoxo-RaNdoM-pIxIE-xoxo, You-will-be-my-Squishy, k-pattttttttz, BErinHaribo, and Jazzy-kins. And thanks to gollygeeitsamy, who helped me find the Twilight trailer.**

Turn Me Loose!

Alice POV

I laughed nervously at Jacob's attempted joke. _He_ might not be taking it seriously, but I sure was. I mean, _I _was the one who knew that vampires existed (and I lived with six of them). I also happened to know that the werewolves really did exist. And I also happened to know that vampires and werewolves were not really best friends.

"Damn it," I muttered under my breath.

"Alice, what is it?" Bella asked worriedly.

"Um… I have to go back home now. I have… you know… stuff to do, and… you know. Do you suppose that someone is willing to go back early, too?" I asked hopefully. Maybe I really should have listened to Edward and Rosalie and not have come to La Push today.

"I don't know…" Bella trailed off.

"I could give you a lift back to Forks," Jacob offered.

I frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be fifteen years old or something?"

He looked away nervously. "Yeah… your point?"

"You don't get a license until you turn sixteen."

"We get our license early here on the rez," Jacob replied, obviously lying. But I didn't care. As long as he had a car, I would just borrow it and ask someone else to return it for me. I didn't want to stay here much longer.

"Okay, if you say so, now come on, let's go!" I pleaded urgently.

Jacob looked a bit apprehensive as he stood up. "Okay, okay! My house is that way."

I quickly turned back to Bella. "Yeah, Bella, don't ask any questions. But if something happens to me and I'm not back home by tomorrow morning, then contact my family – find my dad at the hospital, get the number from your dad, anything – and tell them that I'm at La Push and that there's a real dog infestation down here. Okay?"

"Okay…" Bella looked at me weirdly before she headed back to all of the others gathered around the bonfire.

"Let's go!" I quickly followed Jacob up the hill. I cast an anxious glance behind me. The three werewolves were trying to follow us inconspicuously. Damn it, why wasn't there any cell phone reception over here?

Jacob stopped in front of a little house, patting his pockets. "Damn it, where did I put those keys…" he muttered.

"Jacob."

I cringed. It was one of the werewolves. Jacob scowled and glared at one of them. "Sam."

"So who's this?" one of the others asked, looking over me.

"Alice Cullen," Jacob mumbled.

"Cullen? Did you say _Cullen_?" the one who I thought was Sam demanded.

"Yes. What about it?" I challenged him.

Paul laughed. "She's a feisty one, ain't she?" he muttered, turning around.

"We'll take her back to Forks," Jared, the third one, offered. Actually, no, more _demanded_.

"Um…" Jacob was hesitant as he looked between me and them.

"I think you should leave," Sam said coolly.

Jacob looked up at me. Sorry, he mouthed, as he trudged away.

"Is your house empty?" Sam asked Paul.

"Yeah."

"We'll keep her there until the bloodsuckers leave," Sam decided.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" I demanded. "Hey, let me go. HEY!" Paul had picked me up, and the three of them were headed for another house.

Paul snarled, "Now, you little midget, shut up and stop kicking, or – OW! She bit me! _She bit me_!"

I made a face and gagged, trying to rid my mouth of the taste of his hand.

"We heard you the first time," Jared snapped. "Now just be thankful that she isn't actually a vampire, or we'd be in big trouble."

Paul growled and glared at me, dropping me down onto a couch. "You listen here, pixie. This is for your own safety. We're going to protect you from those leeches. Now shut up and eat something." He tossed a paper bag at me. I made a face. McDonald's. One of the leading causes for heart disease.

I refused to sleep, and instead stared out of the window, waiting for sunrise. Then Bella check to see if I had gotten back to Forks – which I obviously hadn't. I hoped that Charlie had our phone number, though that was highly unlikely. But my family would probably be searching out for somebody (hopefully Bella) who was at the beach for information on my whereabouts.

"The Cullens have demanded a meeting with us. We have to bring her." Sam jerked his thumb at me.

"_Her_ has a name, you know," I griped. Paul picked me up again, despite my thrashing about.

"To the treaty line, then."

They walked there. _Walked._ They couldn't have shifted into a werewolf and let me ride on one of them? No. They probably just wanted to extend my time away from my family. Werewolves were definitely not very high on my list of friends.

The treaty line was very close to that baseball field that Emmett had found the other day. I spotted a familiar head of golden blond hair, pacing back and forth.

"Jasper!"

He whipped his head up. "Alice!" He glared at the werewolves. "Let go of her."

"No," Paul snapped back. Hmm, just where was the treaty line? I looked down. There was a _very_ faint line in the dirt. Okay. I curled my hand into a fist and whipped it forward.

"Ow! Ow, ow! Ah, damn, that hurts!" I hissed, clutching my hand. I had punched Paul's face. Apparently, it hadn't done anything, but he _had_ dropped me in shock. So I was now directly on top of the treaty line. I quickly crawled over to my family's side, and Jasper scooped me up.

Carlisle and Sam were already in debate. Well, Sam was shouting, while Carlisle was trying to stay calm.

"You're planning on changing her someday, aren't you?" Sam demanded. "Well, that breaks the treaty! We'll have all rights to attack you then."

"Are you sure about that?" Jasper asked. "Edward, do me a favor. Can you quote the part of the treaty about biting humans?"

"_No Cullens shall bite any humans, or the Quileute werewolves will wage war_," Edward recited.

Jasper smirked. "Ah, well, there you go. It says no _Cullens_ can bite a human. But it never says anything about _Hales_." Rosalie gave him a high five, while Emmett whooped.

"Um… Jazzy… hand?" I gestured at my broken hand.

"Oh, yes. Carlisle, do you mind?"

"Of course not. Let's get back home and put this all behind us."

"For now," Paul muttered as he and the other two werewolves slunk away.

**So they DID kidnap her. Demented werewolves...**

**Well, I now have twenty-five freaking little holes in my arms. Because I took an allergy test yesterday. Where they poke a whole bunch of little needles into your arms. And I can't wash the marker off, so it looks like I have freaking chicken pox or something.**

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	18. As Soon as There is Life

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to Rachh93, Mangobunny255, k-pattttttttz, MaleficentKnits, tiny-irritating-pixie, Agent 37- Adams, VoldieBeth, deddy2die4, prettykitty8694, yummy food, Mznickwhite, VampireCheeseWhiz, raindropsX, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, CrAzYDuKeDoGgIrL2009, .writing., JSod93, karencita c28, R.L.N. Tonks, justanotherditzyredhead, discokiller, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, Beauty Eclipsed, keiraliz, StantonDimitriCullen, 2honest4myowngood, Ilove4everJasperHale, gollygeeitsamy, Euffie, xFender'sGirlx, Charlotte 1993, laughing bubbles 18, jazzie-luvs-me-22, keeperofthesoup, Jazzy-kins, Horsegal93, silksoft96, Jkb-hotterthanEdwardsince1990, Homegrl aka Amanda, Sarah, iluvshim, dazzlinggoldeneyes3, and AngieEllaCullen.**

As Soon as There is Life, There is Danger

Alice POV

"So what happened that day in La Push?" Bella asked. I was at her house, while we waited for Jessica and Angela to come by so that we could head over to Port Angeles. I was going to help the two of them by dresses for the spring dance. Finally, a chance to help someone not in my family to get a good wardrobe! I'd shop for Bella, but she's still very adamant about that.

Jasper had wanted to follow me to make sure that I was safe. He'd been very paranoid ever since La Push. My hand was currently in a little cast, though I was still able to move my fingers around. I told people at school that I had accidentally slammed the car door on my hand.

I frowned when we entered the dress store at Port Angeles. It was so… so… so… so _small_! I sighed. But I would have to make do with what I had. After all, a true artist would be able to make an exquisite piece of art out of anything.

I zipped around the store, grabbing the halfway decent dresses and tossing them at either Jessica or Angela, while Bella just sat by the store window and read. Jessica was currently modeling a purple pink dress.

"Does this dress make my boobs look bigger?" she wondered.

"Uh…" Bella, Angela, and I looked awkwardly at each other.

Then a group of guys who looked to be around twenty years old passed by the store. One of them rapped on the window and whistled at Jessica, who beamed. "I am so buying this dress!"

Two of the other guys made some obscene gestures at Bella and me. I narrowed my eyes and watched them as they entered the bar. That was when I received a vision.

_The group of guys tumbled out of the bar, drunk. One of them caught sight of Bella, who was walking alone, searching for a bookstore. He nudged the other guys, and they all laughed as they sauntered down the sidewalk, heading for Bella._

I would _not _let this happen.

Bella sighed and stood up, shutting her book. "Hey, guys, I'm going to go look for a bookstore, okay? I'll meet up with you guys later."

No, no, no, no! I can't let this happen. "Uh, Bella, maybe you should wait so that the rest of us can go along with you to the bookstore?"

"No, that's alright. I don't want to trouble you guys. I can go by myself."

Ah, fine, last act of desperation. "No, Bella, you can't go, please!"

"Well, why not?"

"Just… you _can't_, Bella, you just have to take my word for it."

Bella narrowed her eyes. Great, the one time that she has the courage to be defiant, and it's _now_, of all times! "No, I really want to go to the bookstore, Alice," she whispered. "Maybe when you decide that I'm worthy of knowing all of the secrets that you're making me keep, I'll take your word for it." She turned around to leave.

Frantic, I shoved my pile of dresses into Angela's arms. "Uh… I'll come with you, Bella!" Two heads are better than one. And I wasn't going to go let my best girl friend deal with this by herself.

"Fine. Let's go." Bella headed out, and I quickly followed.

"Meet us at the Bella Italia later!" Jessica shouted as the door closed.

How did it get so dark so quickly? I quickly checked my purse for any possible weapons. Ah, pepper spray! Thank you, Rosalie!

Then they came. There were six of them. It looked like they had decided to round up a few more people, then. Bella stiffened and sped up her pace. I followed her closely. We were now in the warehouse area of Port Angeles.

"Bella!" I hissed. "You keep going. I'm going to lead them down the alley. Go!" I insisted when she began to protest. She disappeared around the corner. I quickly dashed down the alleyway. I could hear a few sets of footsteps chasing after me.

The alleys were a maze. I lost track of how many turns that I had made, until I ran into somebody. Bella.

Then I realized – we were surrounded. My plan to lead them away had failed. I whipped out the pepper spray and aimed it at the closest one. He screamed in pain, but another one closed in. Bella and I backed up against each other.

_A silver Volvo turned into the alley. Jasper and Edward got out, and the thugs scattered._

Edward, help! Alleyway!

The Volvo came. I let out a sigh of relief as Jasper and Edward appeared. Then I noticed that their eyes were a deep, pitch black. I tugged on Bella's hand, and we jumped into the car, Bella in the front, and me in the backseat.

Jasper came in and sat down by me while Edward drove off. I took Jasper's hand. "Jazzy, we're safe now," I spoke softly. Bella was talking with Edward in the front.

Jasper took a deep breath, and I snuggled into his side. He was calming down now. I felt a wave of peace wash over the car.

We pulled up to the Bella Italia. I hurried over to Jessica and Angela, with Bella following me. The two of them began to freak out.

"Don't worry, Jasper and Edward came to get us. We're eating with them," I announced happily.

"Okay…" Angela and Jessica smiled knowingly. "Bye!"

Note to self: never, _never_, again go to the Bella Italia. They have a surplus of over flirtatious staff.

Just to mark my territory, I pulled my chair around and snuggled up to Jasper. When the waitress returned, I kissed his cheek. I think he enjoyed my being jealous.

We watched the booth at the back of the restaurant, observing Bella and Edward's conversation. Well, Jasper could actually _hear_ the whole thing, but I had to attempt to lip read.

But, finally, I wasn't the only human who knew about vampires anymore!

**Oh, and another favor… you see, I'm very technology deficient, meaning that… well, I SUCK AT TECHNOLOGY STUFF. So I find that making little movies (like Youtube stuff) is kind of interesting to do when there's nothing on fanfiction, BUT I CAN'T FREAKING FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THOSE CLIPS THAT EVERYONE HAS!!! Like how some people take little shots from a movie to put into their video – yeah, I'm that stupid that I can't figure out how to do that. Or… wherever you get those clips on. First person who can tell me the right way to do this stuff get a VERY extended preview! Oh, and if for some reason this affects the filming stuff, I have a Sony VAIO laptop. Fairly new. And… stuff…**

**VERY EXTENDED PREVIEW! Tempting…**

**Review = preview.**


	19. Gravitation is Not Responsible

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

Summary: Alice was born and abandoned 1987. The Cullens took her in, later discovering that she gets visions. When they move to Forks, she befriends Bella. But what happens when Alice's brother, Jasper, starts to show some not-so-brotherly feelings to her?

**This chapter is dedicated to deddy2die4, VoldieBeth, MCLBLUE, JSod93, Sarah, R.L.N. Tonks, yummy food, Mznickwhite, Aqua Revolver, soccerchic-fanficfanatic13, VampireCheeseWhiz, keiraliz, AliceJasperIsLove, Flyingflower666'-'666, Euffie, prettykitty8694, Nilya2397, JazzyJasper, Charlotte 1993, 2honest4myowngood, Beauty Eclipsed, raindropsX, Briony97, soccerchic-fanficfanatic13, MaleficentKnits, TaylorLautnerLuver, Gayle7, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, CrAzYDuKeDoGgIrL2009, iluvshim, xFender'sGirlx, jazzie-luvs-me-22, Agent 37- Adams, Ilove4everJasperHale, .writing., sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, RenuzmayCullen, Jazzy-kins, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, silksoft96, Homegrl aka Amanda, tiny-irritating-pixie, twilightfreakkandk, and lil.**

Gravitation is Not Responsible for People Falling in Love

Alice POV

"They _what_? Did they hurt you? Are you alright?" Rosalie shrieked as she and Esme began to fuss over me.

"Don't worry! They didn't touch me or Bella." I tried to squirm out of their grasp.

"Oh. Bella." Rosalie pursed her lips. Ever since my outburst on the discussion after the van incident, she had been trying to be more accepting of Bella for fear of pushing me even further away.

The next morning, Edward was gone. "Did he leave again?" I asked worriedly.

"No, no, he didn't!" Jasper assured me. "He just took the Volvo today to pick up Bella for school, so the rest of us are all going to be riding in Rosalie's car for today."

"Oh. Okay." I let out a huge sigh of relief.

Rosalie looked very happy as we all headed out to the garage. I could understand that. After all, it wasn't often that we were able to show off her "baby". Emmett hopped over the side and seated himself in the front passenger seat, while Jasper and I shared the back contentedly. Rosalie put on her tinted sunglasses and zoomed off to school.

People were staring even more now at her BMW. One of the boys even reached out to touch it, but one short yet withering glare from Rosalie made him retract his hand quickly. I looked out at the other side of the parking lot and spotted Edward and Bella getting out of the Volvo. I giggled, and Edward shot a playful glare at me before turning his attention back to Bella.

At lunch, Edward was eating with Bella… well, actually, Bella was doing the eating, and Edward was just watching her. That would weird me out a bit. I couldn't hear their conversation, but I was observing them by their movements. Then I saw him pick up the slice of pizza.

I snickered and nudged Jasper, who looked over. This caused Rosalie and Emmett to glance over, too. We watched as Edward took a bite of pizza and grimaced before choking it down.

Emmett whooped. "Go Eddie-boy. He has eaten human food. Today, he is finally a man!"

"You've eaten human food before, haven't you, Jazzy?" I asked him.

"Yes…" He grimaced. "But I'm never doing it again."

"What did you eat?"

"Tiramisu."

"Mm, yummy."

"No, icky."

I stuck my tongue out at him. Emmett chuckled. "Better put that back in your mouth, pixie, before Jasper gets too close."

I threw a grape at the grizzly bear.

Hunting trips. They were both good and bad.

Good, because my family could get the sustenance that they needed to survive, and they were more able to control themselves around other people in town.

Bad, because that meant that I was alone for the day. So I had to hitch a ride in Bella's pickup truck, and then wait at her house until it was dark and one of my family members came to pick me up.

It was funny to watch Bella's face when she realized that her pickup truck really had "magically appeared" in the parking lot when we went outside after school. I wondered if it was Emmett who had dropped it off here. He loved to break into people's houses and whatnot.

Her truck smelled like tobacco, gasoline, and peppermint. I think that the previous owner of this car smoked. Don't they know that smoking's bad for your lungs? I suppose that they didn't know that _then_…

"Hey, Bella, who owned this truck before you did?"

"Um, I think Billy Black, from La Push. You remember that we met his son, Jacob?" I nodded. Bella hesitated, and then continued. "So…"

"What…?" I asked back, teasing her."

"Is it really true that your whole family is made up of vampires?" She blushed.

"Yeah… everyone but me." I made a face. "I have to wait until I'm nineteen before they'll change me."

"You… _want_ to be a vampire?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"Well, of course. Don't you?" She didn't say anything. "You _do_ love my brother, don't you?"

Bella sputtered, while her face turned even redder. My lips twitched. "How… I… is it… well… why… you… yes," she finally admitted.

"See? Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" I asked her brightly.

"Do you love Jasper?"

"Of course I do. Now that was _very_ easy to say." I grinned.

"Ugh… you know what? Let's talk about something else besides vampires for now, okay?"

"Hey, you brought it up first."

"Shut up, you little munchkin."

"I'm no munchkin. I'm vertically challenged – but I prefer fun-sized." I put a mock serious face on. "So, Bella, what exactly are your intentions with my brother, Edward?"

"_What_?" I'm pretty sure that if Bella had been drinking something right then, she would've done a spit-take. You know, where you drink something, someone else says something random, you spit out what you were drinking – I'm confusing myself.

"No, seriously." Actually, I was far from serious right now. Emmett would be so proud of me. "How many dates are you planning on going with him? Do you want to kiss him? Have you had those certain sexual 'urges' for him yet?" Will –"

"Okay, okay, that's enough, Alice!" Bella practically shrieked. I smirked and leaned back in my seat. Yup, Emmett would be crying for joy, if he could cry at all.

"So your answers, then, Miss Swan…"

"Well…" Her cheeks were a bright tomato red. "I guess that I'll just go along with whatever Edward wants. I'm not really a high-maintenance kind of person. I haven't kissed him yet…"

"But you _want_ to."

"Shut up, Alice."

"Meh." I stuck my tongue out at her.

"And I'm not even going to talk about that last part."

"Aw, come on, that's the funniest part!"

"No, it's not!"

"Well, it is for me," I muttered.

"Not the same story for me." Then Bella got a sly look on her face. "So what are _you_ planning on doing with Jasper?"

I'm pretty sure that my cheeks turned pink then. "That's a different story. He's not your brother," I replied dismissively.

"Sure…"

**My offer from last chapter still stands - the first person to tell me the correct way to do it gets a VERY EXTENDED PREVIEW.**

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	20. Families are Like Fudge

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to RIP Nat Ember ILoveYou, Aqua Revolver, Mznickwhite, keiraliz, yummy food, Briony97, BErinHaribo, margaretng, Jazzy-kins, IHeartPudim, 2honest4myowngood, R.L., MaleficentKnits, Nily2397, Noelle86, JSod93, prettykitty8694, Agent 37- Adams, discokiller, You-will-be-my-Squishy, VoldieBeth, deddy2die4, justanotherditzyredhead, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, k-pattttttttz, Horsegal93, uniqueimperfection, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, keeperofthesoup, Fox's-Pen, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, gollygeeitsamy, Beauty Eclipsed, Charlotte1993, VampireCheeseWhiz, Euffie, iLuvMe21, Liv Hathaway, and Lagoon Dreams.**

Families are Like Fudge – Mostly Sweet with a Few Nuts

Alice POV

"Do you think Bella's at our house yet, Jazzy?" I asked impatiently as we sat on a branch at the top of one of the trees in the forest.

Jasper stared at the direction of our house, sniffing the air, keeping his ear open for any sound. "Yes, I think she is. I just heard Edward's car pulling up the driveway. Do you want to get back now?"

"Yes, please!" He crouched down, and I jumped onto his back. I squealed in exhilaration as I felt the air whipping past my face.

I opened my eyes to find the two of us standing at the base of a tree just outside of the kitchen window. I quickly scaled it, while Jasper slowly followed me. I walked nimbly across the branch and stepped into the kitchen, with Jasper coming in right behind me.

"Hi, Bella!" I called to her brightly. She smiled and waved back.

Jasper looked a bit tenser now. "Hello, Bella. It's nice to meet you."

Bella nodded, looking a bit nervous now. I felt a wave of calm wash over us, and I sighed, leaning against Jasper. Carlisle and Esme introduced themselves. Emmett grinned broadly at Bella, who looked a bit daunted by his massive size. Rosalie opened her mouth to say something, but I glared at her, and she shut her mouth again, looking away. Neither of us had yet forgotten about the "Big Discussion".

As Edward led Bella back out to the hallway, I heard her say, "Um… nice graduation caps."

"Yeah, well, they tend to gather dust, so why not?"

I pouted. "That's not fair."

"What's not fair?" Jasper asked, taking my hand.

"You guys all have at least a dozen each graduation caps. I have none."

"Ah, is that it, Alice?"

"Mm-hmm."

"You only have the rest of this year, and senior year, before you get your own."

"Yeah, but –" I gasped. "That's so unfair, too!"

"What's unfair, too?"

"You're not going to be in school with me next year!" I wailed.

"Oh, Alice…" He drew me in for a hug. "Don't worry, love. I promise that I will be lurking around the house, waiting every single day for you to come home."

I sniffed. "Okay, Jazzy." I leaned my head against his chest.

_We were all standing in the baseball clearing, even Bella. The sky was cloudy, and lightning struck the sky. Thunder rumbled loudly, though the rain avoided the clearing. _

"Now, Alice, what's made you so happy now?" Jasper asked, sounding amused.

I merely looked up at him and smiled. "There's going to be a thunderstorm tonight!" I announced happily.

He grinned. "So that means…"

"BASEBALL!" Emmett whooped from upstairs. "_Hallelujah_…"

"So I guess that Bella and I will be watching," I said brightly.

"Will Bella want to come?" Jasper wondered.

"Of course she will. Baseball time is family time. And Bella is family now. Simple. See?" I grinned up at him.

Carlisle, Esme, Emmet, and Rosalie ran ahead to the clearing while Jasper and I hitched a ride with Edward and Bella in Emmett's Jeep, which I liked to call the Monster. Emmett loved the nickname.

I snatched the baseball up from the ground. "Jazzy, play catch with me!"

He hesitated. "I might hurt you if I throw it too hard," he warned.

"So? I don't care." I threw my best pitch at him. He caught it easily, of course.

"That one was pretty good, Alice." I saw Jasper gently tossing the baseball. It made a little _thud_ against my palms.

I looked back up to see Jasper twirling the baseball bat around. "Show off!" I accused him teasingly.

"Hey, I can't help but show off in front of such a beautiful lady like you." I smiled and closed my eyes as he traced my cheek with his fingers.

"Oi, you two lovebirds quit your tongue wrestling!" Emmett boomed. "I want to play me some good old baseball!"

I chucked the baseball at Emmett's head. He was too busy laughing to block it, and it went _clunk_ against his head.

"Wow, I always knew that the head of his was empty. But you just proved it for me," Jasper chuckled.

Emmett held up his index finger. It was our little inside joke – it was our personal equivalent to the "finger", but we did it this way so that we wouldn't get in trouble with Esme.

I had seen my family play baseball several times, but it got better and better every time. As it was Bella's first time, it was understandable that she was completely stunned.

"So the baseball games in your family are always like this?"

"Pretty much, yeah." I stood up and cheered as Jasper caught the ball. "Go Jazzy!"

"Go Jazzy!" Emmett mocked me.

"I'm the referee."

"Please accept my humblest apologies, Miss Cullen."

I picked up the spare baseball bat and began attempting to twirl it like Jasper had been doing earlier. I stuck out my tongue in concentration as I tried to imagine the bat as a _very _big baton… or pencil. Bella scooted away from me, just in case I accidentally let go of the bat.

"Alice, watch out!" I looked up and saw the baseball hurtling straight at me. I squeaked in alarm and swung my arm out to protect myself.

Then I heard a giant clanging sound. I opened my eyes and saw the bat bent in an odd form, with the baseball embedded in the dented part. I stared at it. I reached out a finger and poked the ball. It fell out from the bat and plopped down onto the ground, slowly unraveling.

I shuffled away from it. "Didn't do anything," I muttered.

Then we all burst into laughter. I had another vision.

_Three figures came out from the forest. They were vampires – and they had burgundy eyes. Bella and I had been herded into the middle of the group. The male with darker hair looked to be the leader, though the male with lighter hair seemed to be more in control. The female was simply looking around nervously._

"Stop!" I heard myself shout.

"We're going to be having us some visitors," Edward said grimly, running over to Bella.

**This was personally one of my favorite chapters to write... not THE favorite, but one of them.**

**Oh, and just a head's up. I'm leaving on spring break April 8th (in the USA), and I'll be gone 4 days, so I might not be able to update in those days. I'll TRY to, but no guarantees. **

**Thank you to all who have helped me with my Youtube video clip problem! **

**Remember, review = preview.  
**


	21. A Danger Foreseen is HalfAvoided

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, yummy food, R.L., silksoft96, Beauty Eclipsed, Jazzy-kins, JustWantsToFly, Euffie, RIP Nat Ember ILoveYou, keiraliz, Noelle86, StantonDimitriCullen, Mznickwhite, SammieSamSamm, 2honest4myowngood, Charlotte1993, lost-girl666, prettykitty8694, xFender'sGirlx, Flyingflower666'-'666, JSod93, twilightlover211, deddy2die4, MaleficentKnits, Liv Hathaway, Agent 37- Adams, VampireCheeseWhiz, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, AliceJasperIsLove, You-will-be-my-Squishy, raindropsX, .writing., iluvshim, discokiller, keeperofthesoup, XOXO-RaNdoM-pIxIE-OXOX, Homegrl aka Amanda, k-pattttttttz, and VoldieBeth.**

A Danger Foreseen is Half-Avoided

Alice POV

Bella and I were quickly swept up into the formation. Carlisle was at the front, while Jasper and Emmett flanked his sides. Edward, Esme, and Rosalie were gathered at the back. Bella and I were covered by my family.

I clutched the back of Jasper's shirt as we waited for the nomads to arrive. His hand slinked around my back, and his fingers intertwined with mine. Bella had taken off her ponytail, and Edward had arranged her hair around her face. My hair was too short to do such a thing, so the best that I could do was to pull up the hood of my jacket.

Then they came. The male with darker hair came first. Then the other male and the female followed him. As they approached, the male with lighter colored hair seemed to tense up slightly as he began to sniff around the air eagerly.

The darker haired male stepped forward. "Hello. My name is Laurent." He had a French accent. I seemed to notice the weirdest things when I was scared. "And this is my coven, James and Victoria."

Carlisle nodded and shifted ever so slightly forward, so that the formation was not broken. "I'm Carlisle. This is my family, Esme, Jasper and Alice, Rosalie and Emmett, Edward and Bella." He didn't bring particular attention to any of us.

Laurent nodded. "We heard you playing, and we were wondering if you had room for three more players."

"Yes, well, some of my family was just leaving. If you would like, we could escort you to our home, and you could freshen up."

"Home?"

"My family's diet is different from yours – we drink animal blood. This allows us to retain a permanent residence, so we ask that you not hunt anywhere near here."

"Of course."

"Jasper, Edward, Alice, Bella, I believe that you had some errands to run," Carlisle said calmly.

We were almost out. Then a little breeze picked up and blew towards the nomads. And James went absolutely crazy.

His eyes turned from red to black faster than a traffic light as he turned to stare at me. I could practically see the venom dripping out of his mouth. He inhaled very deeply as he smirked and stalked forwards toward me.

In a flash, Jasper was crouched in front of me, growling back at James. Edward's eyes were wide in astonishment as he stared at James.

"James, get back here now!" Laurent ordered. James snarled and retreated back.

"Jasper, stop, please," Carlisle requested calmly. Jasper glowered at James before quickly backing up and smothering tiny little me in his arms. "You four go now."

Jasper scooped me up and began to run. Edward was doing the same thing for Bella. I found myself sitting in the Jeep as Edward started the ignition and sped off. Bella and I shared a bewildered look.

"Edward… what exactly was that _thing_ thinking?" Jasper muttered, closing his eyes in frustration.

"He was fine when he first came into the clearing," Edward replied. "Then he caught Bella and Alice's scent. He was a bit confused as to why he smelled humans. Then the wind picked up, and it carried Alice's scent over to him. She is to him like Bella is to me."

"A singer?" Jasper hissed.

"Unfortunately, yes. And it doesn't really help that he's very stubborn, so I have a feeling that once he sets his mind on getting to Alice, he's not going to stop until we stop him – permanently – or…"

"Or he gets me," I finished calmly.

"He's pretty much completely forgotten about Bella. A singer's blood will do that to you. I should know."

We were in for a shock when we saw Laurent in the house. Jasper almost attacked him, but Emmett held him back.

"He has unparalleled senses… he's a tracker. And you say that this girl is her singer. I'm afraid that it'll be even worse. He's very proud that he is able to say that not one ever escaped him. And it's true. He won't tarnish that record."

Once Laurent left, we sprang into action. "So what's the plan?" Emmett asked eagerly. "Are we going to go find him and fight him, kill him?"

"Wait, Emmett, we have to think this through first," Carlisle replied, holding up his hand.

"The only way we can do this is to kill that bastard," Rosalie growled. "He's not going to be killing Alice. You heard Laurent, he won't ever stop. We can either run away from him for the rest of eternity, which doesn't sound nice at all, we can kill him, or…"

"Or we can change Alice," Edward concluded.

"No. We are _not_ changing Alice. Not yet. She still has two more years," Jasper argued.

"_She_ is right there," I interrupted. "I'm fine, turn me now."

"Wait, Alice, please think this through," Jasper pleaded. "If you get changed now, you'll be turned into a… a bloodthirsty monster."

"I'd be like that anyways, wouldn't I?"

"Yes, but… think about this. You wouldn't be able to see or talk to Bella for a few years."

Oh. "Fine. So how are you going to go about killing him?"

"The boys and I will be the hunting party," Carlisle said solemnly. I knew that he hated violence. "Rosalie and Esme will stay here with you. Bella will go back to her house and stay there. Laurent shouldn't be a problem, but Victoria is James's mate. She'll be helping."

I watched as my family split up into hunters and protectors. Jasper swept me up into his arms and gave me a chaste kiss. "We'll be back soon, Alice," he murmured as they left.

I couldn't sleep that night. I just sat in the living room with Rosalie and Esme, after they had barricaded all of the doors and windows. Thankfully, it was spring break, so I didn't have to go to school. I wished that Bella could've stayed with us.

I was sitting in my room, alone, when my cell phone rang. It was an unknown number. "Hello?"

"Alice, no, don't –" I heard Bella cry out before James's voice chuckled. "If you want your friend to live, then come to the Port Angeles fair by noon, house of mirrors. Or she dies."

The line went dead.

**I just got a new CD!!! It's called Drum Medicine by David and Steve Gordon. It's very spiritually-enriching...**

**Review = preview.  
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	22. It is the City of Mirrors

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to 2honest4myowngood, Agent 37- Adams, keiraliz, Mznickwhite, MaleficentKnits, VoldieBeth, RLNTonks, k-pattttttttz, Russetstorm, watchingaladdin, MALICIOUSteddy, .writing., vampiricpen, XOXO-RaNdoM-pIxIE-OXOX, silksoft96, -voodoobaby, katieorndorff, Flyingflower666'-'666, Homegrl aka Amanda, xFender'sGirlx, StantonDimitriCullen, Charlotte1993, Beauty Eclipsed, twilightfreakkandk, BSF16, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, prettykitty8694, Fox's-pen, Brittlovestwilight, Euffie, VampireCheeseWhiz, Briony97, raindropsX, JSod93, gaby-barragan, RIP Nat Ember ILoveYou, Maggie, lost-girl666, Ilove4everJasperHale, iluvshim, , AliceJasperIsLove, discokiller, deddy2die4, Jazzy-kins, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, and Nilya2397.**

It is the City of Mirrors, the City of Mirages, at Once Solid and Liquid, at Once Air and Stone

Alice POV

How the hell did James get Bella? Wasn't Charlie supposed to be at h – oh. It was a Sunday. He had probably gone fishing somewhere. Damn it.

I had to save Bella. Who was I to decide whether her life or mine was worth more? Most people would choose themselves… but I'm not most people. And a person will do anything to save someone that they love, and Bella's my sister in every way but blood.

I took a deep breath and left my room. I walked down the hall casually, like everything was still fine. Rosalie and Esme glanced up at me before going back to their hurried, whispered conversation. I turned towards the bathroom, but when I was out of sight, I ducked into the garage and grabbed my bike. It was no car, but it was better than walking.

There was a tarp over a hole that Emmett had made while wrestling. I quickly pulled it open and hurried through, pulling my bike over behind me. I glanced over. Rosalie and Esme hadn't noticed me leaving yet. I jumped onto my bike and began pedaling as fast as I could.

Was I really going to bike my way all the way to Port Angeles? No, wait… Bella's truck! I changed course and pedaled over to her house. Charlie's car wasn't there, but the Thing was. I abandoned my bike and pulled a bobby pin out of my backpack before heading over to the car door lock. Thank Emmett that he had felt it necessary to teach me criminal stuff like this.

I hotwired her truck, silently apologizing to Bella, before pulling out of the driveway and driving as fast as I could without completely breaking down the ancient truck. I glanced at the clock every few seconds. I hoped that I would get there in time.

I arrived at Port Angeles at about half past eleven. There was still time. I slammed the truck door shut and began to run as fast as I could on my short legs. I could see the fair. I was panting as I stopped by a woman with two little children.

"Excuse me, Ma'am, but do you know where the house of mirrors is?"

"Oh, yes. It's right over there. But there's a 'Closed' sign on it, so –"

"Thanks!" I shouted as I began to run again. I could see the two story tall house of mirrors looming in front of me. I began to say my goodbyes, to Angela, Ben, Jessica, Mike, Eric, Jacob, Edward, Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett…

Jasper. I nearly cried as I thought his name. I was never going to see him again. _I'm sorry, Jazzy._

I made my way around the "Closed" sign and entered the dark shadows of the house of mirrors. Was I just supposed to wander around the maze or something, until James decided that it was time to eat me? I felt like I was in a labyrinth, in danger of the Minotaur.

Curse those Greek myths.

I held my hands out to make sure that I didn't bump into any mirrors. It turned a corner and gasped. I saw James, grinning at me, holding Bella. He pushed her off to the side and began to stalk towards me. I turned the other way and began to run, bumping into the mirrors and glass.

Everywhere I turned, it seemed like I was seeing James, or a reflection of him. I couldn't tell which one was real, and which ones weren't.

I stumbled on the ground and tripped. Of all the time to pull a Bella…

I looked up and saw myself sprawled on the floor of a moderately sized round chamber. There were mirrors surrounding the whole place. My eyes widened as I saw about a dozen James's approaching me.

"Silly little girl. You humans are pathetic," he chuckled. "You would do anything to protect the ones that you loved."

Something dug into my thigh. It felt round and cylindrical.

Thank God for pepper spray, though I highly doubted that it would have any use against a vampire… but I could try, at least.

The reflections were disappearing, until only one James was left, smirking as he got closer and closer. I slowly sat up, shifting my hands ever so slightly.

"Where's Bella?"I demanded.

"Now that you're here, I have no use for her anymore. But don't worry, my little foolish pet. I didn't kill her. By the time she manages to get help over here, you'll already be dead," he replied brightly. Well, that was most certainly encouraging. "As you are my first ever singer, I deem it necessary to commemorate this moment by videotaping it. Don't you agree?" he asked casually as he pulled a video camera out of his pocket.

"Asshole," I spat.

"Oh, tsk, tsk. Come on, don't you have any last words? I'm pretty sure that your scarred mate will be horrified as he watches me kill you. Or perhaps worse…" James walked towards me, keeping the camera steady.

I aimed the pepper spray at his eyes and pressed the nozzle. He blinked in surprise as I got up and began to run. But he picked me up by the back of my shirt and threw me.

I quickly shielded my face as my back broke through several mirrored and glass walls. I landed in a blissfully soft patch of grass. My blood was staining it red.

James was leaning over me, a wild look in his eyes. He crouched down to drink.

But then a white blur ran into him, and I saw Jasper tackling him. Emmett appeared, and picked up James. I saw Edward running into the house of mirrors – no doubt for Bella. Rosalie was helping Emmett tear apart James while Carlisle knelt by me.

"She's losing too much blood!" my father shouted. In a second, Jasper was by my side, not even disturbed by my blood.

"No, Alice, don't go. I can't lose you, please!" He took my hand in his.

"We have to get her to the hospital. Esme, run back to Forks and get Alice's blood. Hurry!"

I could smell something burning as I began to cough. Something splattered on the ground. Jasper gasped. "No, Alice, please!"

That was the last thing that I heard before I closed my eyes.

**Dun dun dun... what's going to happen to Alice???**

**I'm getting cabin fever. I've been cooped up in my house for the past few days. But I'm going on vacation tomorrow, YAY!!! If anyone guesses my destination correctly, they get an extended preview. And you only get one guess. If you guess multiple times, I will only take your first guess. To make things easier for you, I'll give you a very vague hint - it's a big city, so don't guess random places like a teeny village in the middle of nowhere.**

**Review = preview.  
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	23. I Cannot Live Without My Life!

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to Mznickwhite, Beauty Eclipsed, prettykitty8694, katieorndorff, Charlotte1993, Fox's-pen, twilightfreakkandk, vampiricpen, JSod93, raindropsX, Briony97, Sarah, xFender'sGirlx, AliceCullenInWonderland, StantonDimitriCullen, MaleficentKnits, VoldieBeth, gaby-barragan, k-pattttttttz, VampireCheeseWhiz, BSF16, Winona Masen, Jazzy-kins, klutzxoxo, RIP Nat Ember ILoveYou, AliceCullenInWonderland, Euffie, RLNTonks, 2honest4myowngood, Ilove4everJasperHale, AmbiWhitlock, AliceJasperIsLove, laughing bubbles 18, Gayle7, MALICIOUSteddy, Agent 37- Adams, XOXO-RaNdoM-pIxIE-OXOX, keiraliz, Brittlovestwilight, Marrabelle, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, silksoft96, Jkb-hotterthanEdwardsince1990, Homegrl aka Amanda, wednesdayshearts, Nilya2397, tiny-irritating-pixie, Rachh93, BlueBelle, and hidinginyoureyes.**

I Cannot Live Without My Life! I Cannot Live Without My Soul!

Jasper POV

The scent of Alice's blood tickled my throat, but I ignored it. She was hurt. She was bleeding.

She was dying.

But not if I could help it. I scooped her up and began to run. Carlisle was following me closely. I was concentrating entirely on Alice.

She was everything to me. I had been so lost before I had met her, even when I had first joined Carlisle's family and taken their lifestyle and diet. But now my world was full of light and joy, because of Alice.

If I lost her, then I would die. I would kill myself. If I couldn't figure out how to do it, then I would ask someone else to do it. None of the rest of my family would ever agree to do it. Perhaps Peter and Charlotte would, though that was highly doubtful. Maria would probably want to kill me, but I hadn't seen her in several decades, so she might have changed her mind since then. If I did something major enough, then the Volturi would most definitely kill me.

Carlisle and I slowed down to a human pace, albeit a fast one, as we neared the Port Angeles hospital. We burst in through the doors, and the hospital staff began to panic.

"My daughter is dying!" Carlisle shouted. "I need an operating room. She's losing blood very quickly!"

A hospital cot was being wheeled over. I reluctantly placed Alice on it. In fact, Carlisle practically had to pry her out of my arms.

"What's your daughter's blood type?" one of the doctors asked Carlisle. A nurse was bringing over some type O blood.

"No, stop!" Carlisle ordered. "First of all, I'm a doctor. I can take care of this. And my daughter has Bombay blood type. She can't have anything but that, not even type O."

"But I'm afraid that we don't have Bombay," the doctor said, panicking immensely now.

"My wife is coming over soon with it." Right as he said this, Esme burst in through the doors, carrying the container of blood.

"I have it, Carlisle!"

Carlisle quickly took it from her and began to set up the blood transfusion process. Esme was leading me away from everything.

"But – Alice – she –" I protested pathetically.

"Jasper, you need to change your clothes. They're a mess," Esme admonished me softly. I looked down. Indeed, my clothes were covered in Alice's blood. Amazingly enough, I hadn't noticed until Esme had pointed it out.

I changed into the fresh set of clothes that Esme had brought along with her and paced around the waiting room impatiently. How long could it really take to complete a blood transfusion process? I checked my watch. It had only been five minutes since Alice had been wheeled off. Damn it, time went by so slowly!

"Language, Jasper," Edward said with attempted humor in his voice. He was holding Bella, who was looking paler than usual as she walked beside him. "Wow, you're doing pretty well with your control right now, considering that you're in a hospital," Edward pointed out, amazed.

Alice nearly dying tends to push all other thoughts out of my head, you know, I thought to him sarcastically. Then I went back to brooding again. What if Alice died? What if she didn't make it? But she was in a hospital, so surely her chances were better for her survival? But what if –

"Jasper. Will. You. Stop. Brooding? You're making me feel very depressed," Edward complained, rubbing his forehead.

It seemed like forever, until Carlisle came back out to the waiting room. "Alice is going to be just fine," he announced, smiling.

Relief washed over my body, and spread out to everyone else in the room.

"Thank God," I muttered. I got up. "I'm going to go see her now."

No one protested or argued as I hurried down the hallway, to Alice's room. It was white, just like all hospital rooms usually were. Her eyes were closed in sleep. She looked like an angel.

I sighed and took her hand, turning it around gently. Her heart monitor had been going steady, but when I had picked up her hand, it had begun to speed up slightly. I smiled at this piece of knowledge.

"Jasper?" It was Edward. "Emmett and I would like to talk to you. He's waiting just outside."

I reluctantly set down Alice's hand, and her heart monitor went back to normal again. I followed Edward out of the room, out of the hospital.

Emmett was sitting on his Jeep, smiling.

"Where's Rosalie?" I asked, not really very interested.

"She went inside," Emmett replied brightly. Then he put on his serious face. "We have a very important talk, Jasper."

The two of them stood on either side of me.

"As you know, Alice is our little sister," Edward began.

"And she was for you, too, for many years. Or so we thought," Emmett corrected himself.

"And now, we need to have a discussion about your 'feelings' for her, and her 'feelings' for you." Edward was smirking. Were we seriously having this conversation? He was enjoying this.

"I know from personal experience that, at times, you tend to get these so-called 'sexual urges'," Emmett snickered.

"You must learn how to resist them." Edward was nodding vigorously as he said this.

Emmett continued. "And if we happen to hear any funny noises coming from her room at night, then we know who to talk to."

I stared at them. "Guys… I was raised in the _1800's_. Don't you think that I'd be at least _somewhat_ gentlemanlike?"

"Sure, but you've changed. And we don't want little sister _losing_ anything for a while yet." Edward and Emmett burst out laughing.

"Seriously…"

Edward slapped my back. "Come on, we're just kidding here!" Then his eyes darkened. "But we mean it – don't do _anything_ like that."

"Of course not."

"Alright, then. We're good, Bro!" Emmett grinned.

Edward looked deep in thought now. "Oh, great."

"What?"

"We'd better get us some new tuxedos. Alice wants all of us to go to the end-of-the-year dance." He glanced at me. "And I've seen the dress that she's picked out for herself. You _really_ better be able to control yourself."

**I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!! _NONE_ of you guessed my correct vacation destination! About twenty-four, TWENTY-FOUR, of you guessed New York!!!**

**Who says it's even in the US?**

**My vacation place is...**

********(drum roll please) ********

**LONDON, ENGLAND.**

**So no one got an extended preview. :(**

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	24. If You Don't Spread Your Wings

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to JSod93, prettykitty8694, karenc28, katieorndorff, Nilya2397, hidinginyoureyes, Rachh93, VoldieBeth, Euffie, TaylorLautnerLuver, VampireCheeseWhiz, RLNTonks, Homegrl aka Amanda, MaleficentKnits, .writing., Charlotte1993, RIP Nat Ember ILoveYou, Beauty Eclipsed, Briony97, yummy food, jen, MrsJasperHale, iluvshim, frozen water droplet, TheWolfGirl-08, uniqueimperfection, Agent 37- Adams, gaby-barragan, AliceCullenInWonderland, keiraliz, MALICIOUSteddy, LeLeBoo., xFender'sGirlx, BSF16, StantonDimitriCullen, CrAzYDuKeDoGgIrL2009, 2honest4myowngood, chanel17, justanotherditzyredhead, darkmagic-luvr, Marrabelle, laughing bubbles 18, sweetepie67, Jazzy-kins, jalice, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, twilightfreakkandk, Undecoded, BErinHeribo, JackedUp, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, discokiller, Fox's-pen, k-pattttttttz, Brittlovestwilight, -Katie-Masen-Cullen, Kelly Cullen, LadyOrion101, You-will-be-my-Squishy, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, SammieSamSam, lilyann wardropper, and Lagoon Dreams. **

If You Don't Spread Your Wings, You'll Never Know How Far You Fly

Alice POV

"But I don't _want_ to!" Bella whined as I applied makeup to her face. "Why do I have to go to the dance, of all things?"

"Because my brother wants you to 'experience all significant human events'," I answered. "Now come on and strut your stuff!"

"I'd rather pass," Bella muttered.

I scowled at her, and then smirked. "EDWARD, SHE'S ALL YOURS!"

"Alice, I am going to – argh!" I laughed as I ran down the stairs.

Edward was leaning against the Volvo, waiting.

"Hey, how am I going to get back home? I still have to change, too!" I crossed my arms and pouted.

"Relax. Rosalie's going to come pick you up any second. Ah, here she is now." I turned around to see a red BMW racing up to us.

Rosalie nodded at me. "Come on, let's go get ready."

I waved goodbye to Edward and hopped into the passenger seat. Edward was now at the front door.

Jasper tried to intercept me as I ran into the house, but I just glared at him playfully. "Nuh uh, Jazzy, you have to wait for a bit. I need to change into my dress first. And you better change into your tuxedo, too."

Jasper looked at me pleadingly, and I almost gave in, but I stayed strong. "Fine. But just because I'm cooperating this time doesn't mean that there will be any guarantees in the future."

"Hey, I'm the psychic here!" I stuck my tongue out at him as I dashed up the stairs. While the bathwater warmed up, I went about my room, picking up my necessary items for getting ready for the dance.

Rosalie had helped me buy my dress, of course. Esme would never have let me buy something like this… well, most likely not. It was made out of black satin and was knee-length with straps. There were large triangles cut neatly out of it, which showed off my pale skin. But it wasn't nearly as bad as Rosalie's dress.

At least, I thought so. Jasper was probably going to think otherwise.

I ran a brush through my hair, getting rid of all of the knots that had been created while I had been running around all afternoon. I slid on my black high heels and opened my bedroom door.

Rosalie was already changed and waiting for me. Esme was lingering in the hallway with a camera at ready.

"Oh, you girls look so beautiful!" She snapped a few photos.

Rosalie smirked. "So, Alice, shall I go down first and make Jasper even more anxious?"

"I'd really appreciate that, thanks." We shared a grin as Rosalie sauntered down the stairs. I could hear Emmett's loud wolf whistles from up here.

"Where's Alice?" I tried to stifle my giggles. I could hear the anxiousness in Jasper's voice. Rosalie had been right.

"I'm coming!" I sang as I headed down the stairs.

Rosalie and Emmett were trying to cover up their snickers at Jasper, who was currently staring at me, with his mouth open. His eyes were turning slightly black, though he had just hunted. I tilted my head to the side, feeling slightly confused. Why was he hungry?

Emmett cleared his throat loudly. "Jasper, remember that conversation that Edward and I had with you," he reminded him in a warning voice.

"Emmett. Just. Shut. Up," Jasper replied. He stepped forward, holding his hand out towards me, smiling. "You're beautiful, Alice." He was staring into my eyes. "I'm going to have to fight off hordes of horny teenage boys tonight."

"Don't worry, Jazzy. I'm all yours." I wrapped my arms around him.

"Not completely, I hope," I heard Emmett cough in what he meant to be in a not very subtle manner. Jasper and I both glared at him.

Later at the dance, I was glaring very enviously at Rosalie and Emmett, who were dancing as gracefully as ballerinas (Emmett – ballerina – disturbing image…). Jasper chuckled as he felt my jealousy and placed my feet on his, and we began to spin around just as gracefully as they did, if not more.

Edward and Bella came dancing over to us. Bella's feet were on Edward's, too. I noticed Jasper glaring at Tyler, who was staring unabashedly at me, causing Lauren to glare at me furiously for "stealing her date". I reached up and kissed Jasper, making him smile.

Then Rosalie made a face. "Ugh. I smell wet dog," she muttered, glaring towards the doors.

Jacob Black was walking in. He was smiling as he approached Edward. "Hey, can I cut in?" His smile faltered ever so slightly as Edward surveyed him coldly, but obliged and stood off to the side, watching them carefully.

Call me nosy, but I eavesdropped on their conversation.

"My dad paid me twenty bucks to come up here and… well, to tell you to stay away from the Cullens."

"Why would he ask that?"

"He says that they're dangerous. My old man's going crazy about those myths." Jacob chuckled nervously. "Oh, and he says to get the other Cullen – Alice – away from the family as soon as possible, before it's too late, whatever that means. But don't listen to him. My dad's a bit senile these days."

"Well, I'll tell your dad that you told me, so he'll pay you." Bella was leaning back ever so slightly now, as Edward took his date back.

"Okay… well, bye, Bella." Jacob nodded at me. "See you, Alice. Oh, and Paul says hi." Then he left. I began thinking some very nasty things about that werewolf, using words not really appropriate for children.

Edward was leading Bella out to the patio now. I wrapped my arms tightly around Jasper and buried my face into the crook of his neck.

"Alice…"

"Yes…?"

"If you keep doing that, I'm going to end up doing something that's going to make Edward and Emmett kill me for 'defiling' you."

I giggled. "Oh, then I think that I'll keep this up, then, won't I?"

But I looked over Jasper's shoulder to see Emmett and Rosalie spinning by. The two of them were watching Jasper and me very closely, as if making sure that we wouldn't do anything. I hated being the baby of the family.

The school year was ending. I would be a senior next year.

Nothing could possibly go wrong.

**London was AWESOME! We went to something called the London Dungeon. Scary, yet hilarious! There was this torture chamber place, and the lady there grabbed this guy out of the audience for demonstration. During one, she had these plier things and said, "Anyone know what this is for?" No one answered. "Well, I'll give you a hint. You can't use it on the ladies." Slightly inappropriate, but still HILARIOUS. **

**Then, about ten minutes later, we were in this 1700s courtroom thing, and this other guy went up to the stand. **

**Judge: What's your name?**

**Guy: Andy.**

**Judge: Where you from?**

**Andy: Essex.**

**Clerk: His crime is that he was caught prancing around the docks, dressed up as a woman, wearing a green dress, shouting to the sailors, "Come on, boys, you know you want it."**

**Judge: So Andy, do you like dressing up as a woman?**

**Andy: Only on the weekends.**

**Judge: Do you want to _become_ a woman?**

**(Remembering torture chamber) Andy: No...**

**SECOND ROUND**

**Judge: How old are you?**

**Little boy: Um... I don't know.**

**Judge: He doesn't know...**

**Boy: Oh! I'm eight!**

**Judge: Where you from?**

**Boy: Um... England.**

**Judge: Well, that's specific. Crime?**

**Clerk: Today, he went around pinching ladies' bottoms, at a grand total of 366.**

**Judge: Do you like pinching ladies' bottoms?**

**Boy: No, it's disgusting!**

**Judge: Give it a few more years, you'll love it then. Not guilty!**

**LAST ROUND**

**Judge: What's your name?**

**Guy: I'm Alex.**

**Judge: Where you from, Alex?**

**Alex: Italy.**

**Judge: GUILTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Bangs gavel loudly.)**

**Funniest thing I ever saw. Thank you, London Dungeon people!!!**

**Review = preview.  
**


	25. It Takes a Long Time to Grow Young

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to RIP Nat Ember ILoveYou, Rachh93, Ilove4everJasperHale, prettykitty8694, Fox's-Pen, Gayle7, VoldieBeth, Euffie, Mznickwhite, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, JSod93, RLNTonks, JonasLove30, silksoft96, Beauty Eclipsed, MaleficentKnits, Homegrl aka Amanda, Charlotte1993, iluvshim, Twilight06, JackedUp, pureambitionwriting, xFender'sGirlx, 2honest4myowngood, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, raindropsX, keiraliz, justanotherditzyredhead, Russetstorm, tomato soup, Lagoon Dreams, tiny-irritating-pixie, Bozu, Briony97, k-pattttttttz, MissLoonyLovegood, SammieSamSam, VampireCheeseWhiz, FantasyMind1, Patastic, AliceJasperIsLove, Agent 37- Adams, twilighter97, Jazzy-kins, StantonDimitriCullen, and Remy Masen.**

It Takes a Long Time to Grow Young

Alice POV

"It's Bella's birthday!" I sang as I ran around the house, gathering the needed materials. I quickly snatched up some silver gift wrapping paper. Perfect.

"Esme, is the cake ready?" I shouted as I went to find the scissors. I pulled open a drawer and began to rifle through it.

"It is now." Esme pulled the cake out of the oven and set it on the kitchen island countertop. She took a deep breath and blew. The cake was automatically cooled. My mouth watered at the scent of the chocolate cake.

I finally found the scissors and began heading back up the stairs.

"Alice, don't run with scissors! That's the first rule that they teach you in kindergarten," Esme scolded me as I slowed down my pace.

I got to work wrapping the gifts. Plane tickets, a new car radio (which I didn't need to wrap, as Emmett was going to be installing it into Bella's truck as soon as she arrived), a CD…

I exhaled and closed my eyes, trying to clear my mind. I sometimes found that, in the right circumstances, I could call my visions. But those times were very rare.

This wasn't one of those times. I sighed in disappointment and continued to wrap the presents.

I felt someone kneeling down behind me. "Good afternoon, love," Jasper murmured, propping his chin on my shoulder.

"Love you, Jazzy." I turned my face and kissed his cheek before looking back down at the presents. I tore off a piece of tape and began to place it very carefully in the perfect spot.

"ALICE!" I jumped, losing my focus. I turned around to glare at Emmett, who was grinning unabashedly.

"What?"

"Bella's pulling up the driveway now!"

I gasped and turned back around to my gift wrapping. I had to finish before she arrived. Esme, what with her vampire sped, was probably long done with decorating the cake. I stared at the pile of now perfectly wrapped presents, sitting in front of me.

Jasper smiled and wrapped his arms around me. "Now you can focus on other stuff instead."

Emmett coughed very loudly. "_Cough _remember _cough _your_ cough_ promises _cough_."

Jasper frowned, but then smiled as he pulled me up. He gathered the presents in his arms. "Shall we go downstairs, my lady?"

I giggled.

He looked a bit confused. "What is it?"

"Your accent is… well… sexy."

He smirked and leaned closer. "Oh, really?" His accent became even more pronounced now. His eyes were luring me in.

"Incubus," I accused him. Then it hit me. "Hey… what _do _you do while I'm asleep?"

"Nothing of importance," he said evasively. "Now come, let's go greet Bella."

I hugged Bella as she came inside. "Happy Birthday, Bella!"

"You didn't have to do this," she muttered sourly. I looked up innocently. I suppose that I might have overdone it with all of the decorations.

I knew that Bella was unhappy with getting older, because with every second that passed, she was a second older than Edward.

But for now, I enjoyed the party, hoping that she would do the same. When she blew out the candles, Bella and I were the only ones to get birthday cake. After all, the others had no desire to be coughing up the food later.

Bella was staring dumbfounded at the empty box that used to hold the car radio. "Um… thank you… nice box?"

"Oh, no, Emmett's installing the car radio in your truck right now," I replied cheerfully.

"Okay. Thanks, everybody. Thanks, Emmett!" she called in a slightly louder voice. I could hear Emmett laughing from outside.

Emmett finished installing the radio and came back inside, wrapping his arms around Rosalie's waist. I leaned into Jasper, intertwining my fingers with his.

Bella slid her finger beneath the wrapping paper. "Ouch," she muttered, staring at the paper cut. I felt Jasper's grip getting harder.

Rosalie leapt forward and quickly grabbed me out from Jasper's arms. His eyes were turning black.

Edward snarled and crouched in front of Bella. I could only stare in shock at the scene unfolding in front of me.

Jasper was stalking forward towards Bella now. Edward lunged at him, knocking him back, but also accidentally pushing Bella back as he did so. Bella stumbled and fell against the glass bowl. It shattered, and the shards pierced her arms. There was a wound bleeding profusely there.

Rosalie quickly shoved me away from her, before she lost control. I stared around at my family. Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, Edward, Jasper… their eyes had all turned black in thirst. Only Carlisle's eyes were still golden colored.

"Stop it, guys!" I pleaded, reaching out to grab Jasper's hand. I was flung back, and I hit the wall. Everything faded into black, as I heard Carlisle's fuzzy voice speaking.

I didn't know how long I was out of it, but I found myself waking up some time later. The decorations were gone, and the blood had been cleaned up. Rosalie and Esme were sitting beside me.

"Where's Jasper?" I asked, panicking.

"He's out in the woods, berating himself for almost killing Bella," Rosalie muttered. "He's by the stream." I ran out of the room. "Hey, Alice, get back here!"

"No, let her go," Esme murmured as I ran. I hurried outside and into the woods. I followed the stream, until I saw a figure crouching by the water, staring at nothing.

"Jazzy?"

He let out a deep sigh. "I'm so weak."

"No, you're not, Jasper."

"I lost control today. I almost killed Bella!"

"But you didn't."

"Only because the others managed to hold me back." He turned to me, his eyes slightly lighter now. "And I hurt you. I could never live with that knowledge."

"I forgive you, Jazzy. And I'm pretty sure that Bella doesn't blame you, either."

"I should just leave."

"No, you are not leaving me, or I'll… I'll… I'll make you go shopping with me every day," I threatened weakly.

Jasper chuckled quietly. "Alright, I'll stay for the sake of my sanity. Let's go home." He picked me up and ran us back.

I stared around the house in shock. There were white tarps over the furniture, and boxes everywhere. "What's happening?"

"It's almost time, anyway," Edward answered. He was back. "Carlisle can't pass for his supposed age for much longer. And today just proved that I can't stay. We're moving."

"_What_? How could you do that? Why?"

"Bella's in danger from us."

"What about me? I've been living with you guys my whole life! I haven't been killed."

"I'm not taking any risks with Bella."

And he'd take risks with me. He was taking my sister away from me!

"She'll move on. And so will you. You're both still human."

"I will _never_ forgive you for this, Edward," I whispered coldly. Then I uttered the words that I never thought that I would hear myself say. "I _hate_ you, Edward Cullen."

**And yes. She really, really, really does hate Edward right now.**

**(Cries)**

**Anyway, the next couple of chapters will be - wait, why am I telling you this? You have to wait and see!**

**Review = preview.  
**


	26. The Arch of History Bent Once More

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to Twilight06, Rachh93, k-pattttttttz, RLNTonks, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, Agent 47- Adams, prettykitty8694, Fox's-pen, chickensoupwithrice, Mznickwhite, Jkb-hotterthanEdwardsince1990, Briony97, Lagoon Dreams, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, MaleficentKnits, keiraliz, iluvshim, Euffie, pureambitionwriting, JSod93, Homegrl aka Amanda, Jazzy-kins, Gayle7, Beauty Eclipsed, 2honest4myowngood, Ilove4everJasperHale, my name is jb, XOXO-RaNdoM-pIxIE-OXOX, JackedUp, You-will-be-my-Squishy, DancingDemon, xFender'sGirlx, flutterby-whisper, silksoft96, RIP Nat Ember ILoveYou, katieorndorff, VampireCheeseWhiz, Eleasor Cullen, deddy2die4, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, JonasLove30, Bozu, FantasyMind1, Patastic, Nilya2397, laughing bubbles 18, MALICIOUSteddy, NaughtyNessie, VoldieBeth, SkyBones, ponyfrog123, and twilightfreakkandk.**

The Arch of History Bent Once More Towards Justice

Alice POV

Edward left – again. This time, his absence seems more… permanent. But I don't regret the words that I last said to him in Forks. He took away my best friend – my _sister_ – from me.

We were now in Colorado, in a town in the mountains. I hated going to school. I was the only one in my family going now. Only the fact that Jasper was waiting for me at home everyday kept me going.

I was getting new, odd habits. My family sometimes found me in the queerest places, when I myself didn't even know that I had moved there. Today, it was the attic. I was searching through some old cardboard boxes, feeling bored. Jasper had gone hunting, so I had nothing to do.

I coughed as a cloud of dust surrounded my face. I briefly wondered why there was dust if the boxes had just been moved there. But the house was old, so it must get dusty fairly easily. There was an old, bent cardboard box. Someone had written "ALICE" on it in very neat Sharpie. I hesitated, wondering if I should go rifle through it. But it _did_ have me name on it, so I suppose that I have a right to look through it.

I peeled off the tape and opened the flaps. I smiled. There was all of my baby stuff in there. I gasped and picked up a little, dusty teddy bear. It was Mr. Fred, my favorite baby toy. I had always wondered what had happened to him.

I giggled as I moved past all of the building blocks and baby puzzles. Then I saw it.

A ragged, faded pink blanket.

It seemed like the whole entire world had frozen. As I gazed at the blanket, my mind flashed back to several memories. Rain… bright flashes of light… loud rumbles of thunder… the feeling of cold… being wet… crying, _my_ cries… the smell of a moldy log…

I brought the blanket up to my face and breathed its scent in. My head was filled with the smell of dried orchids and peppermint.

I knew that scent… but I just couldn't remember from where. It had been so long ago.

I tugged on one of the frayed strings of the blanket. It slowly fell apart into two thinner layers. Then I saw words that were so faded that I had to squint to read them.

_Mary B._

Who was this Mary B.? Was it me? But my name was Alice.

Who was I?

I sat down on the couch in the living room, waiting for everyone to get back to the house from whatever they were doing. I refused to call this place of residence a home. My home was in Forks now.

Esme came home first. She paused and looked from me to the ripped blanket in my hands.

"Where did you find me?"

"Find you where?"

"When I was a baby."

She hesitated, but then said, "Biloxi, Mississippi."

Rosalie came into the room, looking at the blanket. "Oh, you found that tattered old thing."

"Aw, baby Alice was so cute!" Emmett laughed. I clenched my fist. He was always mocking everything... didn't he know how important this was for me?

"I don't want to hear it."

"What?"

"Just _shut up_, please!"

"Alice?" Jasper stepped forward. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know who I am." Who was I? What had happened?

"You're Alice Cullen, the love of my existence. Isn't that enough?" he pleaded.

"Just… you all go. I have to be alone for a bit."

They nodded sadly in understanding. Emmett tugged on Jasper's shoulder and pulled him out of the room. I curled up into a ball on the couch. Who was Mary B.? Why was her name on the inside of my blanket? Why had I been left abandoned during a near flooding? Why didn't my parents want me? Did they not love me?

Who am I?

I was found in Biloxi, Mississippi. That's all that I know. Then I got an idea. I just had to move quickly. I sprinted into the garage and practically dove into Rosalie's BMW. The car keys had been left on the passenger seat, like always. I started the ignition and pulled out of the driveway.

I tore through the road, driving at a speed faster than I'd ever gone at before. Then I caught a glimpse of the side window. Emmett's huge Jeep Wrangler was following me.

The BMW was a narrower car. I caught sight of a narrow path in front of me and made a sharp turn onto it. The Jeep screeched to a stop, unable to squeeze onto the path. I saw a blur rushing past me, but nothing happened. I closed my eyes and breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Eyes on the road, Alice."

My eyes flew back open again. Jasper was sitting in the passenger seat. I stepped on the brake, and the car stopped. I leaned forward and rested my forehead on the steering wheel.

"I'm sorry, Jazzy."

"There's nothing to forgive, Ali." He pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head. "But what were you thinking? You had no cell phone. You had no credit card. You had no money whatsoever. Where were you planning on staying? How were you going to eat? What would happen if you ran out of gas? You would be stranded in the middle of nowhere. And I would have no idea where you were."

"I don't know who I am, Jazzy. I want to know why they just left me there to die. I want to go back to Biloxi and at least try to find out what happened."

"Then why didn't you just say so? I would have gladly gone along with you, Alice. I love you, and don't you ever think that I'll be staying behind while you go on and have dangerous adventures."

Jasper pulled me over his lap and into the passenger seat as he took my spot and began to drive back to the house. Emmett's Jeep was still following us.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Esme gasped as she hugged me.

"I'm sorry, Mom."

"There's nothing to forgive, dear."

Was this how my biological mother would have been like? I had to know. How different, besides the vampire part, would my life be if I had not been left that rainy night?

**Curiosity killed the cat - not that that's saying anything. Nooooo way. Nothing. Zip. Nada. **

**(Cough)**

**Oh, and I have another warning for you people. On April 30th (in the US), I won't be here, because I have this school trip thing, and I'll be coming back on May 2nd. I know for sure that I most definitely WILL NOT be able to update during those three days. And I probably won't be updating before I leave, because I have to get to school at 6 A.M. on the 30th, and I'm not entirely sure about the 2nd, but no guarantees. Sorry! Just saying now in case I forget later.  
**

**Review = preview.  
**


	27. To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to 2insanepeople, Mznickwhite, Undecoded, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, discokiller, Charlotte1993, Homegrl aka Amanda, raindropsX, Euffie, BSF16, iluvshim, Patastic, StantonDimitriCullen, wolfgirl404, VampireCheeseWhiz, k-pattttttttz, gaby-barragan, SkyBones, Fox's-Pen, prettykitty8694, Ennie Swan, The Day We Fell In Love, Bozu, Beauty Eclipsed, MaleficentKnits, keiraliz, Rookss., VoldieBeth, deddy2die4, Jazzy-kins, Twibite, Paris 'Alice' Renee, pureambitionwriting, XOXO-RaNdoM-pIxIE-OXOX, 2honest4myowngood, yummy food, Lagoon Dreams, MALICIOUSteddy, RLNTonks, xFender'sGirlx, Nily2397, JackedUp, jazzie-luvs-me-22, ionescoisevil, Rachh93, Mango517, eleasor cullen, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, Ilove4verJasperHale, and AmeeCullen.**

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Alice POV

I trailed behind Jasper as he carried the entire luggage to Rosalie's BMW, which she was oh so generously lending to us for the trip. I sat down in the front passenger seat as Jasper started the car, and we pulled out of the driveway.

"So to Biloxi, Mississippi, then, Alice?" he asked, looking at me and smiling softly.

"Eyes on the road, Jazzy," I mumbled, smiling back up at him. He cracked a grin and took my hand. "Yeah, Biloxi, I guess. That's all I know, anyway."

"Alice?" Jasper's eyes bore into mine. "Don't worry about a thing, love. I promise that I will not let _anything_ happen to you. Not if I can help it."

"I trust you, Jasper." I just didn't trust myself, I added silently. I had already acted so irrationally. Next time, I'd probably actually end up killing myself because I was being stupid and wasn't thinking.

I didn't get a chance to see the scenery – even if there was anything to see, that is. The only things to view in Colorado were the trees, the mountains, dirt, and more trees. And dirt. And rocks. Tons and tons of rocks.

We were passing through Kansas now. I stared out of the windows at all of the wheat fields and plains and sunflowers that were out here. The wheat fields were like tall, proud, golden stalks that guarded over whatever was hiding inside of their maze. And the plains seemed to extend on for miles and miles, never ending until you reached the end of the earth. The sunflowers really did seem to tilt toward the sun. And there was just something… well, _special_, for want of a better word, about them here that was different than from the ones that Esme brought home to put in a vase.

Jasper took down the hood of the BMW when we made a short stop for gas. I laughed genuinely for the first time in months as I felt the wind whipping at my face. Jasper seemed very happy to hear me laugh.

We were passing through Missouri. I had just caught a glimpse of the giant arch, the "Gateway to the West", when I began to get drowsy. Last night's escapade had taken its toll on me, apparently.

Jasper was humming now. My mind got fuzzy memories of him playing a southern ditty on his guitar for me, as I started to fall asleep.

_Edward was racing across a dusty prairie, with a determined look on his face._

_Emmett and Rosalie were out hunting. Emmett was holding up the dead bear, pretending to ballroom dance with it. Rosalie gave one of her rare, non sarcastic laughs as she sauntered forwards towards her husband._

_Carlisle was in the operating room, performing a surgery on the patient's arm._

_Esme hummed as she flitted around the house, straightening the immaculate furniture, though there was still a sad look on her face._

_Angela Weber and Ben Cheney were holding hands as they walked towards La Bella Italia, smiling bashfully at each other._

_Eric Yorkie was holding up a brass plaque, grinning proudly as cameras flashed around him._

_Bella was driving in her truck, the Thing, down towards La Push. Then everything suddenly disappeared._

_A silent graveyard. A small, feeble gust of wind blowing through it. Withered flowers were planted in the ground. Dead leaves crackled as someone stepped on them._

_"Get out of here, you little _freak_!" a woman spat as she slammed the front door to her house shut behind her._

_Jacob Black was heading back home from the movies when he began to double over and to throw up in the bushes. Billy Black hurriedly wheeled himself out of the house and led him inside._

_A man was in the movie theater with his date. No one was watching, when a streak of bright red flashed for a brief second. The man was gone._

_There were snarls and high, keening sounds as I was surrounded by an unknown force._

_Fire. It was everywhere. It burned. Surely I must be in Hell or someplace resembling that? Everything was dark. I was flailing blindly in the darkness, trying to claw my way out of the fire. But at the same time, I was frozen still. I was unable to move, no matter how hard I tried. The fire was spreading all over my body as someone screamed._

_Then I realized that the person who was screaming... was _me.

"Alice? _Alice_!" I heard Jasper's wondrous voice yell. I was held against something blissfully cold, as my eyes snapped open and darted around the car anxiously. I could feel my heart hammering against my chest, and my breathing shallow and frenzied. "Alice, love, calm down," Jasper murmured. His honey voice soothed me, and I leaned closer to him. The fire in my dream was fading away, as nothing but a disturbing memory. "What happened?" he asked softly.

"I – I don't know. I think that they were visions. But they were coming in my sleep, and just pouring in, one after another, never stopping. The first few were okay, but then they started to get worse and worse…"

"Come on, Alice, breathe. Let it out. Tell me about it." I sat on Jasper's lap as I recited my visions.

"Edward was running – chasing something, it looked like. Emmett and Rosalie were hunting. Carlisle was at the hospital. Esme was around the house. Angela and Ben were on a date in Port Angeles. Eric was getting an academic award. Bella –" I choked up on my almost-sister's name "– was driving to La Push when everything disappeared. I saw a graveyard – someone was walking in it. A woman was kicking someone out of her house. Jacob got sick and Billy was hurrying outside to get him back in. There was a man at the movies, and a flash of red. Then he was gone."

"And?" Jasper prompted. He knew that I was hiding something.

I took a deep breath and continued. "I was surrounded by something – I don't know what, though. I just was. Then… I was _burning_. It was like someone had set fire on my body. I was screaming, but no one came to save me."

"Alice." He tilted my chin up. "I will _always_ save you. No matter what happens, no matter what sacrifice. Don't you ever forget that, you hear?"

**Okay, quick explanation on how Alice's visions work, in case you still don't get it. She can't summon them at will. They come to her, and it's usually about very important events. But when she sleeps, any vision could come to her in a dream. Important or not.  
**

**Review = preview.  
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	28. Frankly, My Dear, I Don't Give a Damn

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to Mznickwhite, Bozu, Patastic (for boosting my ego XD), prettykitty8694, xoxoshopaholicdancerxoxo, pureambitionwriting, Homegrl aka Amanda, VoldieBeth, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, Paris 'Alice' Renee, Beauty Eclipsed, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, Eleasor cullen, AliceJasperIsLove, MaleficentKnits, TaylorLautnerLuver, k-pattttttttz, Undecoded, AliceCullenInWonderland, 2honest4myowngood, VampireCheeseWhiz, Euffie, The Day We Fell In Love, JonasLove30, 2insanepeople, StantonDimitriCullen, MALICIOUSteddy, xFender'sGirlx, keiraliz, iluvshim, SkyBones, hannahnhall16, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, RLNTonks, JackedUp, XOXO-RaNdoM-pIxIE-OXOX, Jamie, Jazzy-kins, Nilya2397, Jasper_love, ennie swan, eleasor cullenb, and BSF16.**

Frankly, My Dear, I Don't Give a Damn

Alice POV

"So do you know where exactly it was that Rosalie and Esme found me?" Jasper and I were standing on the road somewhere out in the middle of the woods, staring at the thick, thick trees that stood before us.

"I'm not entirely sure. They never did mention much about it," Jasper replied slowly. "But I think they said that they found you inside a log in the middle of the forest."

"Okay, let's go!" I tugged on his hand, but he didn't move.

"Wait, Alice, let's think about this for a moment. Even if we do find this log that you had been… put in, it is _very_ unlikely that we'll be able to keep moving on. The trail will almost definitely have gone cold by now and completely disappeared."

"But it's better than nothing. We could at least try!" I argued.

He sighed. "Alright, then. We'll try to, Alice."

We stopped off of the road and away from civilization, into the trees, into the unknown wilderness. But I didn't care. Jasper was with me. And I might be able to find out about my past today. I took a step forward towards the trees when Jasper pulled me back.

"Wait, Alice, look at what you were about to step in."

I looked down. There was practically an entire ocean of thistles and burrs in front of me. I groaned. How was I ever supposed to get past that without scratching myself?

Without a second thought, Jasper picked me up and carried me in his arms as he himself walked through the thistles. Of course his impenetrable skin would prevent any of the thorns from harming him.

Once we reached a nice, _safe_, patch of moss, Jasper finally set me down on the ground. I turned around, slowly revolving on my toes, until my eyes fell on the object.

Over the years, moss and various plants had grown on it. But something about it had seemed so vaguely familiar. I headed over to the log that was lying down on the ground and slowly reached out my hand to touch it.

I could suddenly remember myself squirming, as a pair of unfamiliar hands set me down inside the log. They didn't look back. I couldn't remember ever seeing their faces.

"Is this it, Alice?" Jasper asked, stepping forward to stand beside me.

"Yes. This is it, Jazzy." I eagerly turned around, searching for a clue, any clue, as to where I could go next. Sadly, there was none. My head drooped as Jasper hugged me.

"You know, Alice, you missed that little dirt pathway over there yonder." He pointed. I glanced around and saw said pathway.

"Come on, let's go, Jazzy!" I pulled on his hand again. This time, he came along with me without a hesitation. We hurried down the pathway, leaving a trail of dust behind us, rising into the air. Then I stopped and gasped.

It was the graveyard that I had seen in my visions. There were the dead flowers. There were the dead leaves, which crunched beneath my feet as I walked, with Jasper following me closely. My eyes roamed about, taking in all of the different shapes and sizes and shades of gray and white of all of the graves.

There was a tiny little dark gray one. It was a semicircle, sort of, only protruding more out of the ground. It was like a semi-oval, I suppose. It was crumbling, as if no one had been taking care of it in all of the years that it had been here. It didn't look like there were many words engraved on the epitaph.

As there was a large mound of moss at the top of the grave, all I could see that was written was "_May 1987 to November 1987_." The person buried here had only been a baby when they died. I felt a pang in my heart for them, when I realized that they had only been alive for six months.

I gently brushed the moss away to read the name, and then froze.

_Mary Alice Brandon._

"Oh my god." I was taking in deeper and deeper breaths now. I stumbled back and began to fall, but Jasper quickly caught me before I hit the ground.

"What is it, Alice?" Then his eyes landed on the grave. "Mary Alice Brandon…"

"How did you guys pick out my name?"

"I thought you looked like an Alice. I honestly didn't know about this –"

"It's okay, Jazzy. I know you didn't know about this. But 'Mary. B.' was the name sewed into my blanket." I paused and frowned. "Jasper… I want to know who my biological family is."

We had gone into the town hall, and Jasper had hacked into the computers. We found old articles about a missing baby, around the time I had been found. The parents of the baby were Joseph and Trinity Brandon. They had a daughter named Cynthia, who was now thirteen years old.

I made Jasper stay behind. I found myself alone, shaking as I headed up to the front door of the little house. I knocked. The next minute was the longest of my life. Then the door opened.

The woman had graying mousy brown hair, and was short. Her eyes were the same blue as mine, but harder, in a way. "Yes, may I help you?"

"Do you know where your daughter is?"

"Cynthia's at her friend's house. Why?"

"No. Your… other daughter. The one you lost as a baby."

"What d –" Her eyes widened. "_You_. You're supposed to be dead!" My heart was plummeting with every word. "Take your damned self and your demon away. Get out of here, you little _freak_!" she spat as he slammed the door shut.

I gasped and stumbled back down the front walkway.

"Hi!"

I looked up. A girl with mousy brown hair and hazel eyes was looking at me curiously. "I'm Cynthia."

"Um… hi," I muttered back. She was the one who had taken my spot in the family that had never wanted me. I got up and began to run. How had they known that I had visions, when I was only a baby? How…?

I found Jasper embracing me as I collapsed on the ground, sobbing.

"Jazzy, I don't want to be here anymore."

**I feel so SAD today!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, first thing's first.**

**On American Idol, my favorite is Adam Lambert (if you don't know who he is, look up a picture of him - one that gets a good shot of his face). He's AWESOME.**

**Now the sad part. You see, my friend (coughMangobunny255cough) got me addicted to the Vampire Academy series, written by Richelle Mead (she looks like a vampire - seriously, she does! Her skin's so pale...)**

**There's a character named Christian Ozera (my friend citricwolf and I agree that he's a total badass - in a good way :D). He's awesome, too, by the way. THEN - I had an epiphany (dun dun dun...)! If there ever was a Vampire Academy movie, they HAVE to get Adam Lambert to play Christian!!!**

**Look at a picture of Adam Lambert. **

**Now here's Richelle's description of Christian - "Messy black hair. Pale blue eyes. A perpetually sardonic smirk." Not to mention that he's a total badass.**

**Look at the picture again.**

**ADAM LAMBERT = CHRISTIAN OZERA. citricwolf agrees with me!!!**

**Anyway, you'd think that I'd be happy about this. But - wait for it. Richelle plans for five books in the Vampire Academy series. There are three books out - _Vampire Academy_, _Frostbite_, and _Shadow Kiss_.**

**The Edward equivalent in Vampire Academy is this guy named Dimitri, a sexy Russian guy (who Mangobunny255 is completely and irrevocably in love with - yes, I did just steal Stephenie's line, but I'm admitting its hers!!! - and is in equal sadness with me). citricwolf (who, coincidentally, has a sexy male Russian tutor) and I agree that he is also a total badass. Not to mention that he's hot. (so's Christian, but Dimitri's mentioned more, just like Edward's mentioned more than Jasper)**

**I'm not telling you the ending, because you might want to read it someday, but - unfortunately - just as I was getting out of my previous semi-depression, this new one is settling in (sigh). But, fortunately, you can now expect several Vampire Academy fanfics and Vampire Academy-Twilight crossovers from me. Just a word of warning. They won't be posted any time soon, so you have time to read the series, so you're not completely lost.**

**And Mangobunny255 may be posting her FIRST EVER fanfiction soon - Vampire Academy one - so watch out for that, too!**

**Okay, enough about me rambling on about...me. Review = preview.  
**


	29. This Land is Your Land

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to Euffie, TaylorLautnerLuver, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, pureambitionwriting, prettykitty8694, Aqua Revolver, Mznickwhite, Homegrl aka Amanda, AliceJasperIsLove, JackedUp, 2insanepeople, DancingDemon, ReDish, keiraliz, JonasLove30, Fox's-Pen, Beauty Eclipsed, hannahnhall16, The Day We Fell In Love, StantonDimitriCullen, Bozu, 2honest4myowngood, BSF16, VoldieBeth, MALICIOUSteddy, RLNTonks, kaytieorndorff, Patastic, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, FantasyMind1, Eleasor Cullen, ennie swan, ALiceCullenInWonderland, Anndie, Jkb-hotterthanEdwardsince1990, AmeeCullen, iluvshim, jazzie-luvs-me-22, Jazzy-kins, VampireCheeseWhiz, gaby-barragan, SkyBones, Charlotte1993, and Remy Masen.**

This Land is Your Land

Alice POV

I curled up on my seat in the car as I took feeble sips at my chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream milkshake. Jasper had always known just what would make me feel better, if only slightly. I leaned against his shoulder as he drove.

I took in the words in the giant sign, in big bold letters: "WELCOME TO OKLAHOMA!"

I noticed Jasper stiffening as he sped up the car even more, if that were even possible. We had already been going at what I had thought was an impossible speed for a car.

"Jasper, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just that – well, we're kind of a bit too close to Texas for my liking." His golden eyes flickered in all directions, searching for a danger that I could not see.

"Well, what's so bad about Texas?"

"It's not Texas itself that's so bad, but… more rather _who_ is in Texas."

"So who's in Texas?"

"Do you remember that 'story' that I told you when you were nine years old?"

My mind flashed back to a board game… a question about his scars… "Oh. Yeah."

"Apparently, last time that I've heard, Maria is still living – uh, no, not _living_, per se… more rather _inhabiting_ Texas right now."

"_Oh_." I pondered this new piece of news for a moment. "Do you know anything else about her right now? Any more newborn armies?"

"I do not know. I only heard from Peter and Charlotte once, just before we found you. They told me that they had crossed Texas once on their travels, and had come across Maria's scent. And when you weren't there, or aware, we've also had nomads stopping by the house. They also told me about Maria's current status."

"So are we going to be in any danger from her?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm fairly certain that as long as we don't make trouble or call attention to ourselves here, she won't find us."

My eyes looked back to the road and widened. There was a shadowy figure of a human standing there. "Jasper, look out!"

He quickly looked away from me and turned the steering wheel so hard that it nearly came off. We swerved off of the road and through the greenery. The car collided into a tree.

"Alice, are you al –" Something cut Jasper off as he snarled. Something hit my head, so that I didn't bleed, but my vision was fading. The front end of the car was crashed in. My last conscious thought was that Rosalie was going to kill us.

I woke up sometime later in a tent. I think it was evening, because there wasn't much sunlight. I sat up and looked around. There was nothing else in the tent with me. I got up on my feet and peered through the opening in the tent flap.

The first thing that caught my attention was the giant bonfire in the middle of the clearing. Then I noticed all of the pale figures. They were wearing worn out clothing. Most of them were barefoot. The majority of them were male, with only a few females in the crowd.

They seemed to be surrounding something as they hissed and growled. Then I saw what they were focusing on.

Jasper.

He was conscious, of course, as he was a vampire. But he was crouching on the ground, snarling back at all of the other vampires. Was he really going to fight all of them? I gasped.

All of their heads swiveled towards the tent that I was in. One of the female vampires strode over and yanked me out. Immediately, all of the vampires went wild. Their eyes were a bright, blood red. Were they newborns?

The female threw me roughly into the center of the crowd, where Jasper swiftly caught me before I hit the dusty ground. He pulled me close and growled at all of the newborns that were trying to get closer to me.

"Why, Jasper Whitlock. I knew that you've changed a lot, but I never knew that you'd be the one to fall for a _human_!" a darkly sweet voice called out.

My heart nearly cracked. She was beautiful, perfect… unlike me. Her hair was black, like mine, only hers was longer… and silkier. Her eyes were a burgundy color. Her skin was as pale as porcelain, with a few silver scars littering her bare skin. Her facial features were perfect.

"Maria," Jasper hissed, pulling me even closer to his body.

Maria. Why would Jasper choose me over _her_? Why would he choose me over anybody?

"Jasper, it's been so long! And who is this?" she sneered at the end, looking down at me.

I interrupted before Jasper could reply. "I'm Alice. Alice Cullen."

"The love of my existence," Jasper added at the end. I couldn't help but smile.

Maria scowled. "Huh. Really. Well!" She immediately reverted back to her cool, passive form again. "I apologize for my… soldiers. They tend to get rather excited when they're exposed to human blood. Just like a certain major that I used to know once."

"I'm not that person anymore," Jasper snarled. "That person is gone."

"That's a shame, then. He was very useful to me. It takes me nearly twice as long to train the newborns half as well as you had trained them once, Jasper."

"Just cut to the point and tell us why we're here, Maria," Jasper snapped.

"Fine. Be impatient. You see, I was hunting when I noticed a very flashy sports car speeding along at a very fast speed. It rather stuck out, you know. So I ordered my newborns that were with me to stop it. If it was just a mere human inside, they could have them to drink. If not, then, well, I'd have a little chat with them. And, lo and behold, here you are, Major Whitlock!"

"It's Hale now."

"What?"

"My surname is Hale."

"Fine."

"May we leave now?"

"Sorry, but no. It'd be most impolite to leave a long lost friend just like that! You and her must stay for a little while longer. Feel free to roam around the area whenever you want – as long as you have one of my newborns with you. _Mi casa es tu casa._ Or, really, I suppose _mi tierra es tu tierra_." A dangerous smirk crawled up on her face. "But just remember, _Whitlock_, to keep a close eye on your little Alice. You never know when your back is turned, and one of my newborns might accidentally… _slip_."

**Translations**: Mi casa es tu casa - **My house is your house.**

Mi tierra es tu tierra - **My land is your land.**

**Maria is a complete b----.**

**Review = preview.  
**


	30. I Think the Lady Doth Protest Too Much

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to kaytieorndorf, prettykitty8694, Mznickwhite, Homegrl aka Amanda, Undecoded, keiraliz, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, justjustice, k-pattttttttz, eleasor cullen, hannahnhall16, FantasyMind1, Charlotte1993, jazzie-luvs-me-22, wolfgirl404, Bozu, hermonine, gaby-barragan, The Day We Fell In Love, Mangobunny255, Euffie, MALICIOUSteddy, Lagoon Dreams, JackedUp, AliceJasperIsLove, VoldieBeth, xFender'sGirlx, XOXO-RaNdoM-pIxIE-OXOX, Beauty Eclipsed, 2honest4myowngood, DancingDemon, pureambitionwriting, SkyBones, sakuraxsyaoran-harryxdraco, raindropsX, Patastic, VampireCheeseWhiz, Shadow Ember, Luna, Jazzy-kins, laughing bubbles 18, k3la, BSF16, RLNTonks, Jkb-hotterthanEdwardsince1990, and allyfanpiregirl.**

I Think the Lady Doth Protest Too Much

Alice POV

Jasper and I had been in Maria's camp for exactly twenty four hours, according to him. I had been unconscious for about half of our stay there so far, so I hadn't kept track. Jasper kept me tightly in his arms at every single moment, refusing to let go, and always keeping his gaze on the newborns that passed around us.

I got hungry. When one of the newborns had tossed a human body at me as a joke solution to my hunger, I had gotten sick. Jasper stayed by my side, until I was… done. Then he snarled something inaudible for me to the newborn, and he had slouched away.

Then one of the more timid looking newborns had slowly shuffled over with a loaf of bread and some apples. I ate them hungrily while I was snuggled up to Jasper.

We had been at the camp for about a week when I noticed that Jasper's eyes were turning dark, and were nearing black. As much as the two of us disliked it, he had to go off to hunt. I had to stay behind. He was going to be quick with it, so that I wouldn't be so vulnerable for too long.

After some very heated debates, Jasper had finally managed to get Maria to have one of the older newborns to watch over me while he was gone. As much as he didn't trust _any_ newborn at all, he distrusted the newer ones, and definitely preferred the older ones over them.

This newborn looked like he had been an old man when he had been changed. I don't know why Maria would have picked him for her army, because pretty much all of the rest of the newborns around here were in the prime of their youth.

His name was Avery. He had been sixty years old when he was changed. He had a sick wife, three sons, and seven grandchildren. He had only been out picking up the prescription for his wife when one of the vampires had attacked him. He tried not to drink from humans, as he never knew if he would lose control someday near someone that he knew, but of course he wasn't able to control himself all of the time. But at least he tried.

He watched over me while Jasper was gone. While I had sat there, bored, he had picked up a stick and was rubbing his fingers against it. He silently handed it to me when he was done whittling it. He had changed it into a whistle.

"Thank you."

"It's no problem, Lissy." He had decided to nickname me Lissy during the short time that I had known him. "My grandkids, they love it when I made these whistles for 'em, 'cause when they blew in 'em, it made the most high pitched sound that they ever did hear. Ya remind me of one of my grandkids, Indee. She's jus' a few years younger 'an ya, but she's mighty like ya."

The whistle was shaped like a pixie. I wondered why, I thought dryly. But I still liked it very much. I actually that that it was very sweet how Avery loved his grandchildren this much, and how I reminded him of one of them.

One of the newborns suddenly lurched forward and swiped at me. His hand just missed me, and he cackled in laughter as Avery jumped up and hissed at him.

"Hey, back off, you asshole!" I snapped at the newborn.

"Excuse me, little girl. But I'd really appreciate it if you didn't snap back at one of my very excellent soldiers," Maria's deceivingly sweet voice ordered from somewhere behind me.

"Maria, she was only standin' up for herself," Avery protested. But Maria held up one hand and silenced him with a single glare.

"Excuse me, but I wasn't talking to you, Alvin."

"It's Avery," I muttered.

"Shut up!" she shrieked at me. "I have not known you for even a fortnight, and I find myself already sick of you."

"Is it because I have Jasper, and you don't?" I mocked her while Avery's eyes widened and he frantically, and futilely, motioned for me to stop.

"You little –" I found myself flying back through the air and hitting the ground with a loud thud. The last thing that I had seen was her hand flying out and me and aiming for my cheek.

"Bitch," I mumbled under my breath. I was getting much too riled up for my health's sake. I found myself being hoisted up in the air as Maria growled at me.

"Say that again. I dare you." I remained silent. "Fine, then. Alright. Well, let me just tell you something here, missy. You are going to die today. And then Jasper will come to me for comfort. And he'll forget all about you. Now, doesn't that sound _so_ much better?"

"Go to hell," I spat at her.

"Oh, you'll regret saying that, little girl. How shall I go about commencing your death now? Should I hang you? Should I strangle you? Should I drown you?" Then her face formed into a devious smirk. "Or, better yet, maybe I should just bury you alive…"

I felt dirt clods hitting my face as she began to dig up the earth at an immensely fast pace. It was two times deep as I was tall, and it was just narrow enough to fit me.

"Say your farewells, _human_." She dropped me. My feet crumpled beneath me as I hit the bottom, and my head hit the side of the hole. I could feel dirt slowly piling up on top of me. How could this happen? My vision of my being a vampire had seemed so definite… but I of all people should know how the future can change so easily.

My arms had formed an air bubble around my head. I would have maybe a few minutes of air. I would savor every moment that I had. My mind flashed through everyone's faces.

Angela.

Ben.

Rosalie.

Emmett.

Carlisle.

Esme.

Bella.

Edward.

Avery.

Jasper. Oh, god, Jasper. I love you. I was inhaling earth now. I could barely feel it as the pressure on my back lifted. Was I dying? Someone carried me up. An angel was taking me to heaven. Then I felt something pushing against my chest.

The dirt flew out of my lungs. I smiled at Jasper before I fainted.

**Yes, yes, kinda stupid ending, but I tried. I was feeling a bit loopy when I wrote this, anyway, so... yeah. Anyway, I have never been buried alive myself (and hopefully never will be) so I had a hard time describing it. I'm going on that school trip tomorrow, so this is going to be the last update for a few days! I love you all. I still can't believe how popular this story's been getting!**

**Oh, by the way, I've started writing several Vampire Academy fanfics (still unposted, but I'm working on them), so just a warning again so you can read the books themselves. They're REALLY REALLY good.**

**Oh, Dimitri (swoons).**

**Mangobunny255: DIMITRI!!!!!!!!!!!! 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 (swoons and faints).  
**


	31. Continue to Be My Friend

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to laughing bubbles 18, Euffie, Ilove4everJasperHale, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, 2honest4myowngood, lost-girl666, xFender'sGirlx, MaleficentKnits, MALICIOUSteddy, prettykitty8694, Alice Mary Brandon, JackedUp, hannahnhall16, The Day We Fell In Love, keiraliz, Mollzy, hermonine, Jazzy-kins, VoldieBeth, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, XOXO-RaNdoM-pIxIE-OXOX, pureambitionwriting, silksoft96, Bozu, Homegrl aka Amanda, Jane, SarcasticSadist-kitkathpdm, Haayleey (:, eleasor cullen, BSF16, Charlotte1993, Remy Masen, gaby-barragan, wolfgirl404, RLNTonks, jazzie-luvs-me-22, Undecoded, Nilya2397, AmeeCullen, DancingDemon, k-pattttttttz, wednesdayshearts, TabitaAbraham, 2insanepeople., and Jkb-hotterthanEdwardsince1990.**

Continue to Be My Friend, as You Will Always Find Me Yours

Alice POV

I was lying on top of something silky and soft. I could smell chicken soup being cooked. My eyes fluttered open. I was lying on my bed in our house in Colorado.

A cold yet perfect hand was holding my tiny one. I looked over and smiled at Jasper, who was gazing at me intently.

"Oh! Alice! Thank goodness that you're alright!" Esme gasped as she rushed into the room. Carlisle, Rosalie, and Emmett followed her. I waited for a few seconds, but no Edward came in.

"What happened?" I asked hoarsely. Rosalie handed me the bowl of soup.

"Well, Esme started panicking when Jasper came driving my now _dusty, beat up, dented_ BMW up the driveway and carrying your dirt covered body into the house. Care to explain?"

"We were actually coming back on our way from Mississippi," Jasper began.

"What did you find there?" Emmett asked eagerly. I started, almost spilling the hot soup on myself. My expression must've been sadder than I thought, because he muttered, "Never mind," and shut up.

"We were passing through Oklahoma, and we ran into Maria."

"_Maria_?" Carlisle asked. "What happened? What did she want with you?"

"She just said that she wanted to talk to me, for 'old times' sake'. She kept us there for a week. The first day, one of the newborns dumped a human body right in front of Alice."

"What? Are you okay?" Esme asked, tilting my face this way and that. I nodded.

"Then I had to go hunting. I couldn't last much longer without it. There was a vampire, Avery. He was pretty decent. He watched Alice while I was gone. I was hurrying back when I smelled Maria walking away. She was feeling triumphant and proud. Then I noticed that Alice's scent was very close by, yet faint, and a patch of earth had been recently disturbed."

"I am going to _kill_ her," Rosalie hissed. "Emmett, let go of me!"

"She has an army, Rose. Not even all of us combined could fight her," Jasper replied. "I removed the dirt, and Alice's scent got stronger. I managed to pull her up and clear the earth from her lungs right before she suffocated."

Carlisle began to check to make sure that I was really alright. I hissed when he pressed my ankle. "It's broken," he announced as he prepared to make a splint for it.

Rosalie was pondering something. "Jasper, where exactly did you find Maria…?" My spoon that was in her hand had been crushed into dust.

* * *

It was a few months after the Maria incident. My ankle was healed. Edward still hadn't come back. I was lying down on my bed when I saw it.

_Bella was jumping off of a cliff. She landed in the water, and started to flail around. She was drowning. Then everything disappeared._

I screamed. Rosalie raced in. "What happened?" she demanded.

"Bella's going to kill herself!" Her face was shocked. I stood up. "I have to go check on Charlie, to make sure that he won't completely break down from this." Without looking back, and without anyone stopping me, I raced outside and into the Vanquish. It was a superfluous car, but I didn't care. If it could get me to Forks soon, then it was good enough for me.

I sped through Wyoming and part of Idaho without stopping, until I finally needed gas. I actually brought my credit card this time. Then I cut through Oregon and finally to Washington. I hoped that Charlie hadn't had a mental breakdown yet. I wouldn't know how to deal with it.

I was very tired, hungry, thirsty, and as irritable as a hibernating grizzly bear, like Emmett would put it. But I didn't care. One of my best friends was dead, my _sister_. I couldn't care about my own needs and conditions right now.

I pulled up to the Swan residence. The little two story house looked the same as always. Then I suddenly remembered – I hadn't said goodbye to Jasper. I'd have to call him soon. I reached into my pocket for my cell phone, but it was empty. My phone wasn't in there. I had forgotten it.

I raced up to the front door and rang the doorbell repeatedly. No one answered. I sighed and took a bobby pin from my pocket, carefully sliding it into the rusty old lock on the door. It easily slid open, and I slipped inside, into the house.

"Hello? Mr. Swan?" I called out. Again, no one answered. No one was home. I sat down on the couch and waited for the police chief to come back. I hoped that he wouldn't arrest me for breaking into and entering his house.

I heard a truck pull up. It was the Thing, Bella's truck. What was it doing here? Had someone decided to do Charlie a favor and return it to him? Then the door opened.

Bella.

"Alice?"

"Bella!" I hugged her tightly. Jacob Black was staring at us from the truck. "What's he doing here?"

She launched into a story of what had happened. I felt like crying, until she said, "Jacob's a werewolf now, like the others."

"_Werewolf_?" I still hadn't forgotten what they had done to me back when I first met Bella. I slammed the door shut and changed the subject. "I saw you jumping off a cliff, Bella."

I listened to her explanation of cliff diving – apparently, it was a big sport in La Push.

The house phone rang. "I'll get that!" I called before Bella could react. "Hello?"

"Alice!" It was Rosalie. "I told Edward about your vision."

"_What_? Why? Oh, no, damn it! Bella's alive, Rosalie! It was a mistake!"

"Damn it."

"What happened?"

"He's… going to Italy."

My memories of my childhood came back, when Carlisle had warned me how I could never tell anyone about vampires, or the Volturi would hear and find me. That wouldn't be good for anyone.

"Rose, tell everyone that I love them, and Bella's alive. We're going to get Edward back."

"What? No, Alice, that's suicide! You're both _humans_! How can you –"

I hung up. "Bella!"

"Yeah?"

"Pack your bags and passport. We're going to Italy to get Edward back."

**ENTER THE ITALIAN VAMPIRE MAFIA!!! And no, I am not discriminating against Italians. They're awesome people. SOOOOooooooo, I am back from my trip! It was amazing. Had its ups and downs. I splurged. A lot. I think I spent a grand total of $60 on souvenirs. I found this awesome fairy statuette that looks just like a combination of Bella and Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy! I named her Roseabella. DON'T ASK. My science teacher is awesome. On the way back home, he let us watch an R-rated movie on the bus, rated because it shows people's heads being cut off. It was Sleepy Hollow. Johnny Depp's the leading actor. Looks twenty. He's HOT. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Sleepy Hollow. The movie. The story's okay. Other reason why my science teacher is cool - he can do a HILARIOUS imitation of prissy girls.**

**Teacher: We are learning about seafloor spreading today.**

**Girl: What are we doing today?**

**Teacher: We're having a test on Tuesday.**

**Girl: Are we having a test?**

**HILARIOUS. So glad I went on the trip. But if only my brother, who I shall refer to as Gr1mmy, could've been there, too. It would have been SO much fun to have my pyromaniac of a brother there.**

**Review = preview.  
**


	32. Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to BSF16, silksoft96, wolfgirl404, hermonine, Patastic, Fox's-Pen, prettykitty8694, SkyBones, Mznickwhite, RLNTonks, VoldieBeth, Bozu, xFender'sGirlx, MissLoonyLovegood, R2-D2106, DancingDemon, Maleficent Knits, k-pattttttttz, Charlotte1993, Haayleey (:, KCcrazy, hannahnhall16, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, awesomeness, AliceCullenInWonderland, MALICIOUSteddy, 2honest4myowngood, keiraliz, jazzie-luvs-me-22, The Day We Fell In Love, TabithaAbraham, Homegrl aka Amanda, Lagoon Dreams, Nikki. =], XOXO-RaNdoM-pIxIE-OXOX, SarcasticSadist-kitkathpdm, Jazzy-kins, Rachh93, Patastic, eleasor Cullen, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, Euffie, gaby-barragan, and AliceJasperIsLove.**

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death

Alice POV

I made last minute reservations for two plane tickets to Italy. Bella packed her bags, along with an extra set of clothes for me. They were a bit big, but I wasn't very picky right now.

We raced off to the airport. As soon as we were on the plane, I picked up the phone on the seat and began to dial our phone number. I noticed the stewardess shooting a nasty look at me, but I ignored her. I had no time to deal with jet lagged flight attendants right now.

The phone rang once, just once. "Hello?" Jasper had picked up almost immediately.

"Jasper, it's Alice."

"Oh, God, Alice, thank goodness you're alright. Where are you?"

"Bella and I are on a plane to Italy right now."

"_What_? No, you have to get back here right now. We'll find out another way to get Edward back."

"We can't. I've been getting these flashes on my way to Forks. Edward's already asked the Volturi to kill him. They declined. But he's determined. He still thinks Bella is dead. He's going through so many plans so quickly that my head's starting to hurt. Bella and I are the only chances he's got to come back home alive."

"Alice… I can't risk you. I've waited well over a hundred years for you."

"Jasper, I love you. I promise, I'll come back." It was a lie.

"Alright. I love you, Alice. Call me as soon as you can."

"Bye, Jazzy."

I hung up the phone. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on only the visions of what Edward was planning on doing. Bella tapped my shoulder, and I looked up to see that people were starting to get off. We barely made it to our connecting flight, and were on the plane again when Bella asked the question.

"What exactly is in Italy?"

"Well… there's this group called the Volturi. I guess that you could call them the vampire mafia…"

I launched into a long explanation of everything that my family had told me about the Volturi. Bella listened with rapt attention, fascinated yet horrified at the same time.

"And Edward wants them to kill him? But why?"

"Because he still thinks that you're dead, and he'll do whatever it takes to join you."

I fingered the locket that Jasper had given me for my birthday a few years ago. It was heart shaped and silver, with a picture of the two of us, smiling at each other. I stared at it. I didn't know when I'd see my Jasper again, and so soon after he had almost lost me.

We landed in Italy. I turned to Bella. "Are you opposed to grand theft auto?"

I don't know how, but I somehow managed to do it. I screeched to a halt in front of Bella. I had hijacked a yellow Porsche 911 Turbo. It was a pretty cool car. "Get in!"

She muttered something about too flashy cars as I raced off again, heading for Volterra. I noticed something on the way there. It looked like there was a lot of traffic…

"Oh, damn it!" I swore.

"What is it?" Bella asked worriedly.

"It looks like today is St. Marcus Day."

"Saint what day?"

"Saint Marcus was famed for chasing all of the vampires out of Volterra." I smiled dryly. "But the funny thing is that Marcus is a member of the Volturi now and still alive… not in the exact sense of the word, of course, but still."

The line of cars was going at about the pace of a snail. I sighed and began to reapply my makeup and unbutton the first couple of buttons on my shirt.

"Alice, what are you doing?" Bella asked, shocked.

"It's time to apply the human ability of dazzling people." I quickly turned the car and pulled out of the line, towards another entrance into the city. A guard stopped me.

I rolled down the window. Of course his eyes immediately looked down at my chest. Pig. Thank goodness that Jasper wasn't here, or that guard would be dead. "I'm sorry, Miss, but you cannot enter this way."

"We're taking a private tour." I handed him a thick wad of cash and zoomed off before he could do or say anything else.

It was still too slow. This was taking too long. "Bella! You have to go. Ask around for the Piazzo dei Priori. Go to the alley beside the clock tower there. That's where Edward is waiting. You _have_ to get there before noon. Go!"

"What about you? Why can't you come with me?"

"If Edward sees me before he sees you, he'll act even faster. You have to go by yourself for the first part of this. I'm sorry. _Go_!"

Bella threw open the car door and sprinted out. I pulled the door shut again and parked the car near the shadows. People were staring as I raced out of the car and hurried to follow Bella. I disguised my thoughts by focusing on only what I was seeing, so that Edward wouldn't hear my thoughts and go out into the sunlight.

I saw Bella falling to her knees, just before she reached the alleyway.

_No_.

Then she pulled herself inside, crawling. I swear that I could see a pale white arm reach out and pull her up. I just hoped that it was Edward's arm, and not some other vampire's. Or Bella would be…

Oh, crap.

I sped up my pace and quickly slid into the alleyway. Edward was standing in front of Bella, facing two hooded vampires.

"Please, there are ladies here," I sang as I went to Edward's side.

"Oh, look, Demetri, it's another yummy human for us!" one of them said sarcastically. He was huge, almost as big as Emmett.

"I can see that, Felix." The slighter one studied me. Edward snarled ever so slightly as he pulled me behind him, too.

"Aw, so they're both yours?" Felix sighed. "So selfish."

"She is my sister," Edward growled.

"You have a human in your coven?" Demetri asked, dumbfounded.

"My _family_ loves her just the same as we do each other. Now, if you'll excuse us, we'll be leaving now. Thank you, gentlemen, but we don't need your services today."

"Au contraire," Felix butted in. "Aro has simply _insisted _that you come back."

"Is there a problem here?" A twelve year old girl – vampire – had walked into the alleyway.

"Jane." Edward sounded… defeated. Not good.

"If this conversation is done, then we'll be going inside now. This isn't a very good position, after all." She gestured at the sun. "Come, follow me."

The deep, black, endless pit loomed in front of me. At the other end was probably a few dozen hungry, bloodthirsty, human-drinking vampires.

Crap.

**Today's Author Note topic shall be: Beauty by Robin McKinley.**

**LOVE the book.**

**Hate that McKinley doesn't let anyone write fanfictions about her books. T.T**

**So many ideas... not allowed to write them (sigh).**

**Excuse me while I go tear up.**

**Jojo: ...Uh...Hi...**

**Chemi: BOB IS WEIRD!!!**

**Mangobunny255: Me heart bunnies 3 3 3 AND DIMITRI 3 3 3 x infinity**

**reader13lovesbooks: *sniff* Okay, I'm back. Review = preview!  
**


	33. Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to gollygeeitsamy, RLNTonks, jazzie-luvs-me-22, hermonine, Mznickwhite, The Day We Fell In Love, R2-D2106, 2honest4myowngood, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, AliceJasperIsLove, StantonDimitriCullen, TabithaAbraham, keiraliz, Bozu, Euffie, wolfgirl404, Meriie, prettykitty8694, VoldieBeth, xFender'sGirlx, Homegrl aka Amanda, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, JackedUp, DancingDemon, laughing bubbles 18, Jazzy-kins, XOXO-RaNdoM-pIxIE-OXOX, AliceCullenInWonderland, Patastic, Masha, EveryROSEHasAThorn-RosalieHale, Eleasor Cullen, FantasyMind1, SarcasticSadist-kitkathpdm, Haayleey (:, 2insanepeople., Charlotte1993, gaby-barragan, MALICIOUSteddy, iluvshim, and k-patttttttz.**

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

Alice POV

How were we going to do this? Would Edward go first, to make sure that nothing down there got to Bella and me? Would he go last, to make sure that neither Felix nor Demetri attacked us? If only he'd changed Bella already, then this wouldn't even be happening. He scowled at me. But he knew that I was right. We _wouldn't_ be here if she had been turned into a vampire.

Jane dropped down the hole first. Bella and I huddled near each other as Edward wrapped an arm around each of us protectively. Felix chuckled. "What, Cullen? Are you scared that one of us is going to eat them? Come on, you should know better than that! You know that we don't drink from any humans until the designated feeding times."

"You snack in between meals sometimes," Edward growled back.

"Felix, you go on ahead down first. Then Edward can follow, and the brunette human can go after him. The little pixie can go last, and I'll jump in after them," Demetri said calmly.

Edward narrowed his eyes. "No. Why don't we let Bella and Alice go enjoy the festivities? I'll go meet with Aro."

"Will you hurry up already?" Jane called up from the tunnel impatiently. "And what's this I hear about the humans going free? That isn't going to be happening."

Demetri raised one eyebrow. Edward pulled us closer as Felix leapt down into the hole. Edward gave one last cautious look at Demetri and jumped down after the giant vampire. Bella trembled as she stood at the very edge of the tunnel.

"Come on, Bella!"

"Uh…"

I pushed her. But as Edward didn't start shouting, I assumed that she'd been caught by him.

"So what's a human like you doing living with vampires?"

"That's none of your business," I replied to Demetri as I jumped. I was caught, and Edward set me down. He encircled us protectively as Demetri jumped down after me, and we headed in even further into the unknown.

There was a human working in the very office-like room. I heard her being called Gianna. What was she doing down here?

Another vampire came out. He looked rather like Jane.

"Alec," Jane said, smiling as much as she possibly could as she headed up to who was probably her twin brother. His eyes flickered over Bella and me before turning back to his sister.

"Come, Aro wants to speak with us."

Now this was more of the castle that I'd been imagining. With all the gray, stone walls and damp hallways…

The room that we were led into had a slight dip in the center, like a bowl, with a drain there. My mind went wild with the possibilities of what the room could be used for.

There were three vampires sitting on _thrones_ in the room. Big, overinflated egos...

"Edward! It's so nice to see you back again." The black-haired vampire's eyes glanced at Bella and me. "Oh ho, what is this? Humans – and two of them? Interesting… Oh, and I am Aro, by the way. These are my brothers, Caius and Marcus." Aro turned to Edward. "I do apologize for denying your request, but you're much too valuable to just slaughter like that."

"I'm sorry, but I am not reconsidering my answer to your invitation. I must still decline it," Edward replied politely.

"Ah. Very well. But who are these two young ladies?"

"This is Alice, my sister, and Bella."

I could tell that Aro wanted to know how Bella was mixed in with all of this, but he settled for me first. "Sister? How can a human be your sister?"

"She's lived with us ever since she was a baby – for eighteen years, actually."

"And none of your family ever had the urge to bite her?" Aro asked, looking fascinated.

"We all love her as a sister by blood – relatively speaking, of course."

"But, Edward, isn't your family aware of the laws that we have for revealing our existence to humans? I'm very certain that Carlisle knows of this."

"Yes. We are."

"But Bella and I are going to be turned into vampires someday," I chimed in. Everyone turned to stare at me. "They're going to change us. Me when I'm nineteen, and Bella when she… well, before she turns nineteen."

"Ah. Yes. Well, I know that Carlisle's word is very good, but I still cannot trust everything that you say…"

"Are you able to read my mind?"

Aro looked slightly startled. "Yes, I can. One touch lets me see your every thought and memory, actually."

I stuck my hand out. Aro stared at it, bewilderedly, and slowly reached out to take it. There was a slight tugging sensation on my mind, like someone was pulling open a flap to see inside.

"A seer?" Aro breathed. "And _human_?" I nodded, stepping back. I could tell that he was getting excited. He turned to Bella. "And what of you, my dear?"

"I can't read her mind," Edward replied shortly.

"Oh! May I?" Aro held out his hand. Bella hesitantly touched it. "Ah! True, I really cannot see inside your mind. Jane…?"

I watched in horror as Jane turned, smiling, and Edward leapt in front of Bella, then fell down, writhing in pain. "Stop!" I shouted. She turned to look at me. Edward stopped writhing… but then it was my turn. It felt like a thousand knives were thrust at my head, and I was lying on a bed of burning hot coals. I heard someone scream.

Me.

Then the pain disappeared.

I sat up blearily and saw Aro looking at Jane sternly as she sulked. "I apologize for that. She really must learn to control herself." He cleared his throat. "So I've seen that you've seen that you and Bella will both be vampires someday. Normally, I would not accept this, but because you are so close to Carlisle, one of my old friends, I will make an exception this time. Would either of you like to join us, so that we will have a better eye on you?"

"No," Bella and I quickly replied at the same time.

"Ah, very well, then. I must tell you, though, that we will come to check on you sometime to make sure that you really have been changed," he warned. "If not, then we will have to take matters into our own hands."

"Oh, we will. It's definite," I replied.

"Then you may go. But please do not leave until the sun is down. Your skin will catch much attention, Edward. But please, leave the city as quickly as you can, too." I could tell that he was holding something back. But frankly, I didn't care anymore. He was letting us go. I'd get out first, and _then_ think about everything later.

Edward took both Bella's and my arms and gently pulled us out after Gianna. We passed by another female vampire who was leading a group of human tourists. A sick feeling landed in my stomach as, a few minutes later, I heard horrible shrieks of terror coming from the room that we had just exited.

I had to pause and take deep breaths so that I wouldn't be sick.

**We had to run the stupid mile today. I HATE RUNNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bleghhhhhhhhhhhh...**

**Good news is, I got a pretty good time - 8:70. My average last years was around 13 minutes :P**

**Chemi got in after me. She was almost finishing up, so I shouted, "LOOK IT'S ALL AMERICAN REJECTS!!!"**

**And she was like "AHH!" and started running even faster.**

**Of course, no All American Rejects. But it was kind of funny. **

**OK, my dear readers, in two days, May 9th, I will be gone pretty much all day. We have a band trip (YES, I know that I have a lot of these field trips, but they're all worth it) and we'll be going to an amusement park afterwards. **

**More rambling! That book I mentioned previously, Life as We Knew It, has a sequel!! It's called the dead & the gone, and I love it, too (even thought it's kinda depressing...)! Susan Beth Pfeffer is also planning on a third book, most likely candidate called The World We Live In. The three books are part of the Moon Crash Trilogy, and it's AWESOMEEEEEEEEeeee!!! Chemi agrees! She loves them just as much as I do!!!**

**Alright, I'm done. Au revoir, my preciouses. **

**Review = preview.  
**


	34. There's No Place Like Home

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to iluvshim, Fox's-Pen, TabithaAbraham, AliceJasperIsLove, 2honest4myowngood, hermonine, The Day We Fell In Love, xXtwerdXx, hannahnhall16, Jackie (You just made my day!!!), Bozu, Mznickwhite, Euffie, wolfgirl404, pureambitionwriting, RLNTonks, prettykitty8694, Homegrl aka Amanda, VoldieBeth, k-pattttttttz, XOXO-RaNdoM-pIxIE-OXOX, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, jazzyjonasluvr, xFender'sGirlx, 2insanepeople., Eleasor Cullen, Patastic, gaby-barragan, Undecoded, Jazzy-kins, R2-D2106, keiraliz, Barb13, KCcrazy, MALICIOUSteddy, Lagoon Dreams, draco-harry-SarcasticSadist, liz, SkyBones, Haayleey :), redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, jazzie-luvs-me-22, and brainiac-twilight-addict.**

There's No Place like Home

Alice POV

We were finally out of the accursed place. I flopped down on top of one of the beds in our hotel room. I was wearing some borrowed clothes from Bella. They were a bit big on me, but right now, I couldn't possibly care less.

Bella had fallen asleep. I was starting to feel drowsy when I heard my brother call my name.

What? I wanted to sleep.

"Yes, I know that, Alice," Edward said in reply to my thoughts. "But I have some important matters to discuss with you."

"Like what?"

"Well, for starters – _what the hell was that about being buried alive_?"

Whoa. Edward never cursed in front of girls. Especially not me.

"What are you talk –" Then it hit me. When Aro had been taking in my memories, Edward must have been picking them out of Aro's head as he himself read them. "Oh. That."

"Yes. _That_. That's just how I would call my little sister's near death experience," Edward replied sarcastically. "Now, do you care to explain?"

"Jasper and I were on a road trip."

"For what?"

"Beans, what else?" I shot back just as sarcastically as he had earlier. "No, we were headed down to Mississippi."

"For you past?"

"What else?" I sighed. "We were driving through Oklahoma when Maria caught us."

"Maria?"

"Yeah. So she got angry or something about Jasper loving me, and when Jasper had to go hunting one day, she pretty much just shoved me into the ground and left me there to die."

"I'm going to kill her."

"That's what Rosalie said. Anyway, Jasper managed to save me just in time, and took me home without stopping for anything except for the car. Rosalie's BMW." An image of the condition that the car had been in flashed through my mind.

Edward smirked. "Rosalie can't have been happy about that."

"Yeah, she wasn't. But believe or not, she was actually worried about me more than the car."

Then Edward's face turned darker and more serious. "I have another important matter to discuss with you now."

"Ask away, my dear brother, ask away."

"Your vision."

"Which one? You have to be more specific about that. I actually have gotten quite a few visions in my eighteen years on this earth, believe it or not."

"The one that Aro saw."

"Which one that he saw? What I saw is his now, you know." Now I knew that I was purposely stalling. But what for, I didn't know.

"The one that he specifically asked for. The one that involved you and Bella becoming vampires, the both of you."

I narrowed my eyes. "Are you saying that you're going to take back your promise of changing me and leaving me human to grow old and die while the rest of you guys all stay eternally young?"

"As much as that sounds like such a good idea, I'm actually not as concerned about that, because the others would give me hell about that. Several of the others have their minds set on you becoming a vampire."

"As do I," I muttered.

He ignored me and continued. "I'm more worried about the one that involved Bella. Tell me exactly what that one was about."

"I saw her, standing next to you. Her skin was just as white and pale and hard and cold as the rest of yours. She was just as inhumanly beautiful as the rest of you guys. Her eyes were just as golden colored as the rest of yours were. Any more questions?"

"That can't be true."

"It's dead certain, Edward. No doubts about this one. She's going to be a vampire, whether you like it or not. It all depends on whether you're going to be agreeable enough to change her, which Bella would really want you to do, or if we're going to have to find someone else in the family or up in Denali to change her. And then me later on."

Edward's eyes darkened. "Fine. But this isn't over, Alice. The future isn't carved in stone." I rolled my eyes.

My gaze landed on the phone. Jasper. Edward nodded and left the room to give me privacy. I picked it up and dialed the number.

"Hello?"

"Jazzy?"

"Alice! Are you alright? Are you coming home now?"

"Yes. I'm coming home. So are Edward and Bella."

"When are you getting back?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, around three. I love you, Jazzy."

"I love you too, Alice."

The damn plane couldn't go any faster could it? Hello, there was something called vampire power. Edward chuckled before turning back to play with Bella's hair.

The plane finally landed, and I took off just before Edward and Bella did.

The crowd of people pushed past me. My short height prevented me from being able to see that so familiar honey blond mop of hair.

Then I saw him. Jasper. My Jasper. The whole airport was empty now, as I raced towards him. He was running towards me as quickly as he possibly could without alarming the other humans.

I took his hand and stared up into his beautiful golden eyes. They were full of worry, relief, love, and hurt. Was it hurt because I had left without telling him what I was doing? Or where they hurt because I had lied to him and told him that I definitely would be coming back home? Or was it the both of them?

"Never, _never_, do that to me, ever again," Jasper whispered into my ear.

I could only nod as he pulled me to him as tightly as he could without hurting me.

Finally, Carlisle and Esme told us that we were leaving. I curled up on Jasper's lap as we headed home. As soon as we arrived at _home_, not the house, but _home_, Jasper took me upstairs and laid down beside me.

I got a brief vision and giggled. Jasper turned to look at me, one eyebrow raised.

"Bella's going to try to seduce Edward into making love with her."

A deep chuckle rumbled through his chest as I snuggled up next to him.

"You're never going to do that to me, are you? Although I admit that it would be enjoyable."

I shrugged. "Maybe… someday." I grinned as Jasper stared at me, both shocked… and something else.

**Review still equals preview. Short AN today. Next part will sound blunt, but I can't figure out how else to word it.  
**

**Daddy's Little Cannibal died.  
**


	35. Oh, Spite, Oh, Hell!

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to 2insanepeople., VoldieBeth, TabithaAbraham, prettykitty8694, MaleficentKnits, 2honest4myowngood, The Day We Fell In Love, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, StantonDimitriCullen, Euffie, SkyBones, iLuvMe21, JaspersAngel11, Mznickwhite, ReDish, keiraliz, Patastic, Homegrl aka Amanda, hermonine, laughing bubbles 18, XXSkittlesXX, brainiac-twilight-addict, k-pattttttttz, Winter Gleam, xoxoshopaholicdancerxoxo, Horsegal93, RLNTonks, Jazzy-kins, draco-harry-SarcasticSadist, Eleasor Cullen, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, MALICIOUSteddy, Addicted 2 Edward, jasperandalice17, DancingDemon, jazzie-luvs-me-22, Lagoon Dreams, JSod93, xXtwerdXx, XOXO-RaNdoM-pIxIE-OXOX, Bozu, R2-D2106, iluvshim, silksoft96, Charlotte1993, wolfgirl404, shinakimi, Haayleey (:, and FantasyMind1.**

Oh, Spite, Oh, Hell!

Alice POV

People are dropping dead like flies in Seattle.

My family had been trying to hide it from me, but not even Edward can steal the newspaper from Bella's house. After all, it's what starts everyday for Chief Swan. And even if he had managed to take it, I could've just asked Charlie if there was anything suspicious or abnormal going on recently.

The murder rate in Seattle was going up. The police called it murder, and they suspected that it was a serial murder, what with all of the similar ways that all of the victims had died.

But there was also the matter of _who_ had died. Everyone who had been killed? They had nothing in common with each other. Not in age, not in race, not in gender… nothing. And serial killers usually have specific targets.

This chain of deaths is completely different from all of the previously mentioned items – because the serial killer is a vampire. Jasper says that it's a newborn army. Edward thinks that Victoria created it – he _had_ tracked her to Texas one time, and that's where Jasper came from.

Unfortunately, I can't tell Charlie who the murderer is, so that he can go and arrest him. Charlie would probably think that I was crazy. And that wouldn't be good for anybody, really.

Anyway, the rest of my family cracked and gave me all of the information that I wanted, after I had bugged them endlessly for the past couple of days.

"Alice?"

I wondered what Edward wanted. I stayed in my closet, reorganizing my clothes.

"It's about that Porsche."

Porsche! That got me. I dropped everything that I was holding and raced downstairs. "Yes, Edward?"

"I need you to do me a favor."

"That depends on what kind of favor it is."

"While I go hunting, I need you to watch over Bella for me, to make sure that she doesn't sneak down to La Push."

Damn werewolves. "Sure thing. So… Porsche?"

"Yes. Well, to 'pay you for your services', I'm going to get you a Porsche."

Ah! Yes, my own car! And a _Porsche_ at that! "Yellow, please! 911 Turbo!"

"Alright."

The next morning, Jasper woke me up with an amused smile on his face. "Hey, Alice, I think there's something waiting for you outside."

I frowned and looked out of the window. I saw a flash of bright, canary yellow.

"AHH! THANK YOU, EDWARD! YOU'RE THE BEST BROTHER EVER!"

"No problem!"

"Hey!" I heard Emmett whining. "What about me? I thought that I was the best brother ever!"

"Well, that was before Edward gave me the Porsche." I began to bounce up and down on my bed. Porsche. Porsche. Porsche. Porsche.

I turned the engine on. I sighed happily. It was perfect. I stepped on the gas, and I tore out of the driveway.

People stared when I entered the school parking lot. Edward was parked next to me in his Volvo. "You know, you really shouldn't have driven the Porsche to school today. It gets too much attention."

"Well, too late. I'm human. I'm allowed to not think things through." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Oh, and Alice." He lowered his voice. "I'm leaving in the middle of class to go hunting. I need you to drive Bella back to _our_ home and watch over her. Make sure she doesn't go to La Push."

"Aye, aye, captain." I headed into the school.

Edward left during lunch. When the bell rang for the end of school, that's when Bella realized it.

"How am I going to get home?" She'd come in Edward's car.

"I'll drive you!" Perfect. I grabbed her arm and pulled her to my Porsche. "Let's go to my house."

"Um… can't we go down to La Push instead?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because Edward told me to not let you. And I don't like the werewolves."

"If it's because they don't like your family –"

"No. It's not that. Back when we first went to La Push with the others, they kidnapped me."

"What? They wouldn't do that!"

"They can, and they would. I was the one who was kidnapped, Bella. This is for your own safety. You know that Jacob likes you as more than a friend."

"That's ridiculous. He's like a brother to me!"

"To _you_, maybe. But to him, he wants to be something more than that. Like what Edward is to you."

"Please, Alice, he wouldn't –"

"He _would_, Alice. Werewolves are kind of like vampires – they're very determined to get what they want once their minds are set on it."

Bella was silent for the rest of the ride back. I pulled into the garage.

"Come on. Let's go give you a makeover!"

"What? No, Alice, that's not necessary, really."

"Oh, yes, it is! Edward told me to have fun. This is fun!"

"For you, maybe. But it's torture for me, Alice."

"Please?" I widened my eyes.

Bella groaned and sighed, relenting. "Fine."

"Yay!" I pulled her inside the house. Jasper was sitting on the couch. "Hi, Jazzy!" I gave him a short kiss. "Don't disturb us upstairs. It's a girls' night."

"Alright. Whatever you want, Alice."

Now I don't get why Bella despises makeovers so much. They're fun. But I guess that's just Bella…

The next afternoon was more eventful. After school, in the parking lot, Jacob Black had come roaring up on his motorcycle. He was a werewolf now. "Come on, Bells!" he shouted.

Bella hesitated, looking between him and me. She hadn't forgotten my story. I stalked over. "You're breaking the treaty, Black."

"You can come along, Cullen. Paul would like to see you again."

I narrowed my eyes. Bella frowned. "Jacob, don't do that. Sorry, but I'm not coming today. Alice, come on, let's go home."

Jacob scowled and glared at me. "Deal with it, lover boy!" I shouted as Bella and I got into my Porsche.

"Why is the treaty so important?" Bella asked.

"Without it, the werewolves would start fighting my family. And my family would probably end up k –" I stopped. "So, what do you want to do later? We can go to LA and race in this car."

"Uh, no, thanks. I'll pass." Nyeah. Party pooper.

Jasper was waiting for me again when we got home. "Alice, why do you and Bella smell like werewolf?"

I gasped and placed my hand over my heart. "I feel so insulted!" I fake-sobbed. "How could you, Jasper?"

Bella rolled her eyes as she headed to the living room. Jasper played along. "I'm so, so, so sorry, my dearest Alice! Whatever can I do to make it up to you?"

"Beat up Jacob, and make Edward happy, too, while you're at it."

I giggled as I heard Bella shout something about "close-mindedness" from the living room. Hey, in my mind, it's not close-mindedness if it's justified.

Yeah, kind of weird. But my mind, my rules.

**School's almost over. We're going to be playing Raiders of the Lost Ark in band. We're starting softball next week in gym. My aunt's teaching me a new musical instrument. Pretty okay week. Been craving chocolate chip cookies for the past few days.**

**Feeling hungry now. Getting All-American Rejects frenzied.**

**Speaking in incomplete sentences. Actually did this week's social studies homework (which I hate doing) in advance.**

**Speaking of homework. There's this petition on facebook to ban homework. If they get 5,000,000 members, which is a lot, then they say that homework will officially be banned. Highly unlikely, but it'd be fun to see if it actually works. JOIN IF YOU HATE HOMEWORK.**

**Review = preview.  
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	36. To Be or Not To Be, That is the Question

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to Mznickwhite, k-pattttttttz, Homegrl aka Amanda, hidinginyoureyes, Rachh93, hermonine, keiraliz, xXxNIAMHxXx, RLNTonks, AliceJasperIsLove, DancingDemon, Bozu, ReDish, MaleficentKnits, Jazzy-kinss, TabithaAbraham, XXSkittlesXX, VoldieBeth, 2honest4myowngood, SkyBones, EveryROSEHasAThorn-RosalieHale, draco-harry-SarcasticSadist, Patastic, R2-D2106, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, MALICIOUSteddy, StantonDimitriCullen, prettykitty8694, Ilove4everJasperHale, Mollzy, .Anything4Luv., Eleasor Cullen, Rosalie Claire McCarty, AliceCullenInWonderland, The Day We Fell In Love, addicted 2 edward, xox hyper lil pixie xox, iluvshim, jazzie-luvs-me-22, Euffie, and Fox's-Pen.**

To Be or Not to Be, That is the Question

Alice POV

"You're getting married! You're getting married!" I squealed as I jumped up and down around Bella.

"Yeah. I am."

"Oh, come on, Bella, sound more excited, why don't you! You're going to be spending an eternity with Edward."

She smiled.

For a very long time, I hadn't thought that there would be any vampire besides the Volturi who would want to disturb us. Sure, while we were gone, Bella had been caught by Laurent – before those damn werewolves showed up.

I had a set of clothes at Bella's house, to keep there just in case I ever decided to go there for a sleepover, or if there was another incident like with Italy (though I sincerely hoped that this would never happen again).

The clothes consisted of a blouse, some jeans, socks, shoes, and a jacket. They were all missing. And Bella had also noticed that several of her belongings were gone, too. She would be staying over at our house tonight.

"There were vampires in Bella's room," Edward announced. "They were the ones who took the stuff."

"But why would they take them?" Emmett asked.

"Maybe it's to prove that they found Bella and me," I suggested.

"But prove to who?" Carlisle wondered as we all were silent.

"You know how to ride a motorcycle now?" I asked Bella excitedly. Edward had showed up with a silver Ducati motorcycle one night. He told me why he had gotten it.

"Yeah. I learned while you guys were all – gone." She swallowed.

I turned to the Ducati. "Can I ride it?"

"Well, it's not really mine. It's Edward's. So –"

"Ah, don't care. Mine now." I jumped onto it and pulled on the helmet. I studied the gears and brakes. "So all I have to do is –" I cautiously turned one of the handles, and the bike zoomed forward, out of the garage.

"Alice!" Bella shrieked.

"This is fun!" I shouted as I raced down the driveway. Then it hit me – how the hell do I brake? "Oh, damn," I muttered. I let go of the handles. That was very stupid of me. The bike was veering out of control now.

Suddenly, the motorcycle stopped. I lurched forward, until a white hand gently grabbed my shoulder. The other hand was pressed against the bike. So that was what had stopped it. I looked up slowly, until I met Jasper's eyes. They were furious, worried, and relieved at the same time.

"Alice, are you alright?"

"Yeah, perfectly fine, Jazzy."

"So what exactly are you doing on my bike?" he asked amusedly.

"_Your_ bike?"

"Yes. Edward gave it to me."

"Oh. Okay." I tried to get off, but he held me down.

"Come on, Alice, don't you want to come along for a ride with me?"

"Sure!" He got on in front of me, and I wrapped my arms around his waist. For a moment, I managed to forget about all of my problems.

"No."

"Please?" Bella begged.

"No." I was adamant about my answer.

"Why not?"

"You _know_ why I hate those werewolves, Bella!"

"But if you just give them a _chance_, then maybe –"

"There are no ifs or maybes in this, Bella. I am never going down to La Push ever again of my own free will."

I still have no idea how I ended up sitting sullenly by the bonfire on First Beach. I shook my head as one of the locals offered me some food. If they were capable of kidnapping, then they were sure capable of poisoning food.

I silently snorted as Billy Black told the story of how the first werewolves came to be. That was utterly ridiculous. _Cold Ones_…

Someone sat down next to me. "Hello, Vampire Girl."

"Go away, mutt."

Paul gasped. "Oh, you wound me."

"That actually makes me feel happy."

"Aw, so I make you happy?"

"No, the idea of you being hurt or injured in any way whatsoever makes me feel happy."

"But you're still thinking of me."

"Bastard."

"Whore."

"_Excuse me_?"

His eyes widened. "I didn't mean for it to come out like that, I swear –"

"Shut it, _dog_." I stalked over to Bella. "We're leaving."

"I want to stay longer."

"Fine. Then I'm walking back. Goodbye. If anyone follows me, I'll scream bloody murder."

I made my way down the dark road. I'm pretty sure that Emmett would absolutely love to kill a couple of werewolves.

A little breeze blew behind me. I whirled around. "I told you not to follow me!"

No one answered back. I scoffed and continued to walk. Damn werewolves. Just because they could turn into a couple of flea-infested shedding mongrels, they thought that they could –

I froze.

Right in front of me was a pair of bright, red eyes.

They narrowed ever so slightly. I got ready to scream, but then they disappeared. I spun around, searching for those eyes again. I couldn't see them. I started to run. I could hear something moving behind me. I could see the treaty line coming up.

"Help!" I stumbled, sliding on the ground. A cold hand grabbed my wrist. I screamed.

"Alice?" I looked up into a pair of golden eyes.

"Jasper!" He pulled me up and over to our side of the treaty line. He snarled quietly as he stared at something in the darkness.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

No one answered. Nothing moved.

"We need to get Bella back. She's at First Beach," I whispered.

"We're getting you back home first. Then we'll get Bella." Jasper picked me up and began to run. I sighed in relief when I saw our ever familiar house.

Edward was pacing impatiently outside. "What happened? Where's Bella?"

"La Push. First Beach."

He growled. "What happened?"

"There was a rogue vampire following Alice when she was walking home," Jasper replied.

"A what?" Carlisle asked, stepping outside.

"A vampire was following Alice. I just barely managed to get to her before it attacked her."

"Is it going to attack the people at La Push?" Esme asked as she joined in.

"I don't know." Edward sighed. "I'm going to have to call the m – Jacob. I'm going to trust him to get Bella home safely."

**WHAT THE FUCK. Pardon my language, but I HAD to get that out. How did Adam not win American Idol????? HOW? HOW? HOW??????????????????????????????????????????????? I WILL NOW BE IN AN EMO, DEPRESSED STATE. T.T**

**Review still = preview...  
**


	37. Your Schooling May Be Over

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to keiraliz, TabithaAbraham, Homegrl aka Amanda, xFender'sGirlx, ReDish, Euffie, Mznickwhite, 2honest4myowngood, VoldieBeth, hidinginyoureyes, justanotherditzyredhead, prettykitty8694, jazzie-luvs-me-22, discokiller, k-patttttttz, XXSkittlesXX, laughing bubbles 18, Fox'sPen, jazzy-kins, block reino cullen, silksoft96, Bozu, Stephycats7785 (who has reviewed EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER!!!), Eleasor Cullen, hermonine, Official Mrs. Whitlock, Rosalie Claire McCarty, xLily, R2-D2106, KatKalamity, MALICIOUSteddy, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, uniqueimperfection, addicted 2 edward, Meriie, DancingDemon, jalice-and-karrett, .Anything4Luv., Faerie0975, xXxNIAMHxXx, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, StantonDimitriCullen, iluvshim, Winter Gleam, SkyBones, wolfgirl404, Patastic, jasperandalice17, and Rhiifase.**

Your Schooling May Be Over, But Remember That Your Education Still Continues

Alice POV

Chief Swan answered the door. "Oh, hello, Alice. Are you here to see Bella?"

"Yup! I have her new outfit for graduation right here." I gestured at the box that was in my hands.

"Alright, come on in. She's in her room right now."

I beamed and raced up the stairs. "Bella! Bella! Bella!" I shouted, knocking loudly on her bedroom door. "I have something for you!"

"Is it clothes? Because if it is, I'm not letting you in here," her voice replied from inside the room.

"It's not clothes."

"Okay." She opened the door, and I barged inside.

"It's a _box_ with _clothing_!"

"Ugh! Alice, that's still the same thing!"

"No, it isn't."

"Yes, it is!"

"No, it's not," I argued as I set the box down on the bed. I pulled out the blue piece of clothing. "This should make up for the lousy thief – and it's really getting to me how my visions just won't let me see what's going on in Seattle!" I smiled and pressed out the wrinkles. "Isn't it pretty? I picked blue, because Edward loves the color on you." Bella was silent. I looked up. Her face was frozen.

"It's the same," she gasped.

"What? No, you don't! You only have one skirt!"

"Forget the clothes, and just listen, Alice!"

"Don't you like it?" A wave of sadness washed over me.

"No, no, no, listen! It's the same thing! The one who broke in and stole our stuff, and the vampires in Seattle. They're together!"

I could feel the clothes slipping out of my fingers. It made sense. "I have to get back home. Put that on, Bella!" I shouted as I raced back down the stairs and out the door.

"Don't tell Edward!" she yelled as I climbed into my car and sped home.

I raced into the house and into my room. I sank onto the floor and closed my eyes.

"Alice?" I looked up at Jasper. "Are you alright?"

"Fine! Perfectly fine. Just… nervous." Yeah, I was nervous, alright. I was nervous that Edward was going to find out and break something – like glass – or people – or schools. Of course, if he broke a certain someone whose name began with "Ty" and ended in "ler", I wouldn't really care.

"Okay…" He looked skeptical, but he took my word for it. "It'll be alright, Alice. I've done this a couple of times already. Trust me."

I nodded, and he left so that I could put on my own clothes for graduation. I took out the red strapless shirt and black jeans as my mind muddled over Bella's revelation.

Things just got worse once we got to school. You see, "Cullen" and "Crowley" are very close alphabetically…

"Alice! You're looking fine!" Tyler shouted. I grimaced. I was wearing a mustard yellow graduation gown.

I hung around outside of the auditorium for as long as possible, thinking about a new wardrobe for Bella. Edward raised an eyebrow at me when I came back but didn't question me.

Bella and I exchanged a look after we got our diplomas. It was time to tell Edward. He was getting suspicious. I began to think about my conversation with Bella that morning. We watched Edward as he stiffened.

"Is he alright?" Bella asked.

"Yes. Just… shocked."

"What did you tell him?" Jasper asked as he and the rest of the family came over.

"The intruder in Bella's room is collaborating with the vampires in Seattle."

Everyone froze, just like Edward.

"We should get back home," Carlisle said. "We'll still have the party. There are too many people coming over to cancel it. We have to act normal."

The party mood was over for me, ever since this morning. I took off my graduation gown before helping to set up the snacks. Jasper's arms wrapped around me.

"You have no idea how mouthwatering you look right now."

I smiled. Jasper always made me smile. "So why aren't you eating me?"

"I'm too busy worrying about all of the boys that I have to fight off tonight."

"I don't see anyone but you, Jasper." I kissed his cheek. "Come on, the party's starting soon."

I never knew that parties could get this loud. And I never knew that our living room could transform into a dance club. I glared at the door as four werewolves came in – Jacob, Quil, Embry, and… _Paul_. Bella had gotten into a sour spot with them when she punched Jacob after he kissed her.

I headed away from them. Stupid mutts. Ah, look at me, still human and already hating werewolves.

"Alice!"

"Tyler," I said through gritted teeth.

"You look hot." His eyes looked up and down my body. "So! Happy nineteenth birthday."

"It was my birthday last month." Idiot. I turned away from him. Bella was in the kitchen, cornered by the werewolves. I headed over to rescue her.

"I have to talk to you." I tugged on her arm.

"No." Jacob threw his arm out in front of me.

"_Excuse me_?"

"You're staying right here." Paul put his hand on my shoulder. Suddenly, Jasper was standing beside me. His expression frightened even me. Paul quickly retracted his hand, and Jasper stood between them and Bella and me.

"What is going on?" Jacob demanded.

"The intruder in Bella's room is working with the vampires in Seattle."

"And so now what? You have a plan, don't you?"

"We're going to fight them."

"We'll join."

"No," I snapped.

"Yes. You'll be outnumbered without us."

"We do have advantages," Jasper hissed. The werewolves took another step back. I took Jasper's hand.

"So how are we going to do this?" Quil asked.

"We'll meet later tonight. You'll all need some instruction in how to defeat newborns."

"Fine." Jacob nodded. "We'll meet you… where?"

"At the clearing where we play baseball?" I suggested. Jasper nodded.

"Alright. We'll leave now." Finally.

"I'm Victoria's target, aren't I?" I asked calmly.

"What makes you say that?" Jasper demanded.

"If she was after Bella, she wouldn't have taken my clothes, too. And we killed her mate. She probably feels vengeful."

"She will not get to you. I'll make sure of that," he promised.

And Jasper always keeps his word.

**BAM! Irritating Tyler is back! :P Excuse me while I go bash his skull in - I MEAN...yeah, whatever.**

**Tyler: AHHHHH! -faints-**

**reader13: Muahahahahaha!!!**

**Mangobunny: Oh, this is getting bad. HEY, LOOK, TYSON RITTER!!!**

**reader13: WHERE??? -runs away screaming like an insane fangirl-**

**Mangobunny: Yeah, Thirteen's a bit off today. It doesn't help that she just learned that eating too much chocolate can kill you.**

**reader13: WAHHHHHHHHH!!! Chocolateeeeeeeeeeeee...  
**

**Mangobunny: I thought you left!**

**reader13: Hey, look, it's a bunny!**

**(\_/)**

**(=)(=)**

**Mangobunny: EEK! BUNNY! -hugs said bunny-**

**Chemi: ...OK, weird... -eats a chocolate bar-**

**reader13: NOO, CHEMI, YOU'LL DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -tackles Chemi and throws chocolate into acid bath-**

**Chemi: O_O WTF???  
**

**Review = preview.  
**


	38. Peace Through Strength

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, Mznickwhite, keiraliz, MALICIOUSteddy, JackedUp, KatKalamity, Homegrl aka Amanda, SweetoothMegs, TabithaAbraham, DancingDemon, Ilove4everJasperHale, xFender'sGirlx, StantonDimitriCullen, hidinginyoureyes, iluvshim, Bozu, canjam, hermonine, prettykitty8694, jasperandalice17, 2honest4myowngood, Charlotte1993, Ava, jalice-and-karrett, Jazzy-kins, XXSkittlesXX, xXxNIAMHxXx, jazzie-luvs-me-22, The Day We Fell In Love, VoldieBeth, xLily, Pyra Sanada, AliceJasperIsLove, Mollzy, R2-D2106, Eleasor Cullen, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, xXtwerdXx, k-pattttttttz, draco-harry-SarcasticSadist, Apple, and SkyBones.**

Peace Through Strength

Alice POV

"What are Bella and I supposed to do while you guys are all fighting?" I asked as we headed up to the baseball clearing.

"We could help," Bella suggested. There was a stunned silence. "I mean, aren't eight vampires better than just six of them?"

"Bella. This is going to be so easy that some of us are going to have to sit out," Edward replied.

Bella frowned and crossed her arms.

I crossed my arms, too. "Hey, I'm nineteen years old now. You promised that you'd change me!"

"But not now," Jasper said. "You've still got almost a whole year."

I sighed.

We were at the baseball clearing and waiting for the werewolves. I grabbed Jasper's arm when pairs of eyes peered out from the trees. One… two… three…

The pack had grown. A lot.

Carlisle took a step forward first to greet them. "Welcome."

Edward was the translator, apparently. "We will watch and listen. But no more. That is the most we can ask of our self control."

"That's more than enough." Carlisle nodded. "MY son, Jasper, has experience in this area. He'll teach us how they fight, and how they can be defeated. I'm sure that you can apply this to your own hunting style."

I gripped Jasper's hand even harder. A quiet growl sounded from the trees. I resisted the urge to stick out my tongue.

"They're different from you?"

"They're all very new. Only months into this life. Like children. They'll have no skill or strategy. Just brute strength. Tonight, their numbers are at twenty. Ten for us. Ten for you. It shouldn't be hard. The numbers might go down. New ones fight amongst themselves."

"We're willing to take more than our share, if need be." Conceited mutts with overblown egos. You don't see much of those everyday.

I saw Carlisle smile. "We'll see how it turns out."

"Do you know when and how they'll arrive?"

"They'll come across the mountains in four days. Late morning. Alice has told us how to intercept their path."

Useless. I was useless except for visions that I couldn't even do anything about myself. Edward flashed a look at me and shook his head, arguing with my thoughts. I looked away. It was true, nd he knew it.

"Thank you for the information. We'll watch."

Jasper turned to look at me. My eyes were wide as I slowly let go of his hand. He stepped into the space between the wolves and us. He was obviously uncomfortable as he turned his back to the wolves.

"Carlisle's right." He seemed to be trying to ignore the wolves behind him. They'll fight like children. The two most important things are, don't let them get their arms around you, and don't go for the obvious kill. That's all they'll be ready for. As long as you come from the side and keep moving, they'll be too confused to be able to respond effectively. Emmett?"

My biggest brother had a huge grin on his face as he stepped out of line.

"Emmett first," Jasper said. "He's the best example of a newborn attack."

Emmett frowned. "I'll _try_ not to break anything."

Jasper chuckled. "I mean that Emmett relies on strength. He's very straightforward about attacking. The newborns also won't be trying anything subtle. Just go for the easy kill, Emmett." My love backed up a bit. "_Try_ to catch me."

I jumped when I couldn't see Jasper anymore. Emmett was charging at him like a bear, grinning while snarling. Emmett was also impossibly fast, but Jasper seemed like a ghost. Edward was watching the fight intently. Then Emmett froze.

Jasper was behind him, his teeth an inch away from his throat. Emmett swore, causing Esme to look warningly at him. The wolves made a sound of appreciation.

"Again," Emmett demanded, no longer smiling.

"No, it's my turn," Edward argued, stepping forward. Bella was staring after him anxiously.

I stared at the brawl. Jasper had a century of experience, but he had to try to go on instinct alone when he could. But his thoughts always seemed to give away right before he acted. Edward was slightly faster, but Jasper's moves were unfamiliar. They were moving faster and faster. I glanced briefly at the wolves. They seemed to be getting too much out of this.

Carlisle cleared his throat. Jasper laughed, and Edward grinned. "Draw," Jasper decided.

Everyone took turns fighting. Bella and I stiffened when it was Esme's turn. My mother just seemed too gentle to fight…

Then we were finishing up. I thought that it would take longer, but... oh, well.

Edward sighed. "The pack thinks that it would be helpful to be familiar with our scents, so that they don't make mistakes. If we hold still, it'll make it easier for them."

"Of course. Whatever you need," Carlisle replied to Sam.

The wolves rose. Sam was leading, obviously. He sniffed at Carlisle, seeming to wince slightly. I wondered what vampires smelled like to werewolves, and werewolves to vampires. According to Emmett (though I shouldn't really believe everything that he says), they smell like a burning landfill of sweaty socks. Sam moved onto Jasper. Jasper seemed tense as he sniffed at him.

An enormous russet furred wolf had approached Bella. Jacob. I hissed under my breath. Everyone but Bella seemed to be able to hear it. Edward and Emmett chuckled, and Jasper smiled at me.

A wolf with dark gray fur was sniffing at me now. Bella and I weren't even going to be anywhere near the fight. Why were they bothering sniffing us?

Edward mouthed a single syllable.

Paul.

Paul was the wolf in front of me. I frowned and waited impatiently, until he moved on. Then a sandy furred wolf bounded up to me, panting happily. This was obviously Seth Clearwater. I smiled. He was actually a very likeable werewolf. I scratched his ears as he sniffed me. He barked once and moved onto Bella.

Another gray furred wolf came over. Leah Clearwater – Seth's not as likeable sister. She sniffed shortly and then moved on. I stuck my tongue out at her when she turned around. Seth barked in laughter. Leah turned around to glare at him. Then she glared at me, and turned away again.

Edward was discussing plans with Jacob. Bella was going to go with Charlie to La Push, no matter how much she didn't want to leave. But why should she have to be in danger when she wasn't one of the targets, anyway?

"What about Alice?" Jasper asked as he stepped over to them.

"We'll make false trails, lure them away from her. But it's a question of how we're going to make sure that they don't know which trail is real," Edward muttered.

"One of us wolves can carry her to the safe spot," Jacob suggested. I made a face. The only one I liked was Seth, and he wasn't big enough to carry even _me_… I think.

"Is Seth big enough to carry Alice?" Edward asked.

"No." Jacob shook his head. "But I think Paul is."

Damn it.

**Ahhhhh, poor Alice.**

**OK, I have some random requests now. It's for a story I'm writing on the side, and I'll give extended previews to the first person who can give me the names of actors that fit into the descriptions below (and if I think that they'll do).**

**-short Asian actress (preferrably Japanese) born in early 1990s**

**-actor who looks like Robert Pattinson and is around his age but ISN'T Robert Pattinson (meaning with bronzish-brown hair)**

**-tall, skinny, pale actor (preferrably Russian with blond hair)**

**Like I said, random requests. Can't tell you what it's for (personal matter), but I'd really appreciate your help. EXTENDED PREVIEWS TO THE FIRST PERSON!!! You don't necessarily have to find ALL three, just at least one.**

**Review = preview.  
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	39. Something Wicked This Way Comes

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to TabithaAbraham, Mznickwhite, Eleasor Cullen, jazzie-luvs-me, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, Ilove4everJasperHale, keiraliz, k-pattttttttz, StantonDimitriCullen, hidinginyoureyes, FantasyMind1, R2-D2106, pureambitionwriting, xXxNIAMHxXx, hermonine, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, Rosalie Claire McCarty, discokiller, The Day We Fell In Love, Fox's-Pen, Homegrl aka Amanda, XXSkittlesXX, DancingDemon, Pink Mouse Dudette, BreakfastAtAras, jalice-and-karrett, Stephycats7785, Jazzy-kins, jazzalice4ever, MALICIOUSteddy, KatKalamity, Patastic, Danizz1500, KCcrazy, prettykitty8694, Bozu, 2honest4myowngood, gaby-barragan, xXTwerdXx, VoldieBeth, Nilya2397, skybones, Hey, and Meriie.**

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Alice POV

I zipped up my blue padded jacket. "Is it time yet?"

"Yes. It's time to make those trails now." Jasper took my hand as we headed downstairs. Emmett walked by, mussing up my hair.

"Wish us luck today, squirt! This is going to be fun."

I stuck my tongue out at him and tried to straighten my hair again. Jasper scooped me up and ran me over to the clearing. "Alright, try to touch as many surfaces as you can."

I nodded and stuck my hand out, passing it over patches of moss and tree trunks. "Jasper, why don't I just stand in the middle of the clearing or something? They'll go crazy, and they'll be easier to kill."

"No, Alice. I am not putting in that danger," he replied firmly. It was worth a shot. I winced as my palm grazed over a broken branch.

"Ow."

"What's the matter? Are you alright?" Then he noticed the cut on my hand. He wasn't breathing.

"I'm fine." A light bulb went on in my head. "Ah. Let me see…" I wiped some of the blood on a rock. "This will definitely get them crazy."

"That's very clever," Jasper replied. He followed behind me at a distance. I left behind a trail of blood. I briefly wondered if I would need to use that extra container of my own blood that was currently sitting in the Forks hospital.

"I think that's good." Jasper took a little first aid kit out of his pocket. I stared at it, smiling. "Just in case," he defended himself as he wrapped a bandage around my hand.

"Picked it up from Edward?"

"I believe he picked it up from _me. _Now it's time to go find those mutts."

He picked me up again, and ran over to the meeting spot. I narrowed my eyes when I caught sight of Paul. "Where's Seth?"

"He's in the safe spot." Paul held his arms out. "Pass her over."

"I can walk," I snapped.

"We don't want to mess up the trail, now do we?"

Jasper reluctantly handed me into Paul's arms, but not before kissing me goodbye. He deepened the kiss slightly before Paul took me. "I love you, Alice."

"I love you, Jazzy."

Then Paul started to walk away. I turned my head to look back at Jasper, before he became out of sight.

"I'm really sorry about what I said in La Push."

"Whatever."

"I really _am_. I shouldn't have called you that."

"No, really?"

"You're making this harder for me to apologize."

"My pleasure."

"You're irritating."

"You're an asshole."

The trip to the safe site couldn't have been any longer. Seth was pacing around the tent in wolf form. He looked up when we approached. Paul set me down right in front of the tent. I got inside and shut the flap.

It was cold. I stuck my head out. "Seth, can you get in here?"

There was the sound of paws on the ground, and Seth managed to squeeze in.

"Thanks." I leaned against him. At least werewolves were warm. But if I was a vampire, then I wouldn't need to be warm. I scratched his ears, and he panted happily. "You know, Seth, you're the coolest werewolf that I know." He barked in agreement. "I mean…" I lowered my voice "…you're not acting like there's a stick up your butt… like Paul…"

He made a noise that sounded like laughter. I wondered who was winning in the fight. Had Jasper gotten hurt yet?

Then Seth stiffened. I held my breath. What was going on? I could hear Paul outside, barking. Seth got up and raced out of the tent. I hesitantly stepped outside.

Seth and Paul were staring at something in the trees, growling. Paul barked something. Seth whined, but Paul barked even louder, and Seth raced off.

Paul backed up, as if shielding me. I was too afraid to say anything. Then they stepped out.

Victoria's hair was still as wild and red like fire, as it had been since I had last seen her. Beside her was one of the newborns, a blond male.

A nasty smirk crawled up Victoria's face as she noted that they outnumbered us. After all, I was useless in combat. She nodded her head, and the newborn rushed forward at Paul.

I was going to die a slow, torturous death. Victoria wouldn't have me killed any other way. As soon as Paul was sufficiently distracted, she lunged at me.

"You are going to pay for what your mate did to mine," she hissed into my ear. "After all, a mate for a mate, you know." She held me against the rock. I had a feeling that this was going to be even worse than when Maria had buried me alive. Why is it that so many vampire women wanted to kill me...?

"Now, how shall I go about killing you?" she mused. Something flashed in her eyes, and she grinned as she tightened her grip around my wrist. I winced as it nearly snapped. Then she bit down on my hand. I screamed.

Fire. It was like the nightmare that I had on the road trip, only not so bad. Then, as quick as it had come, it was gone. Victoria had sucked the venom back out.

"I wonder how painful that will be for you if I do it repeatedly," she said maliciously.

"No… please."

"This is going to tear your mate's dead heart out, knowing that you died painfully, isn't it?" She bit down on my forearm. I shrieked. The fire spread even more this time before the venom was sucked back out again.

It happened to my shoulder. After the venom was sucked back out, Victoria bit my other hand. I had collapsed onto the ground in pain.

"You know, it's a pity that you're so puny and weak," Victoria sighed. "This is going to take a shorter time than I had hoped. Well, consider yourself lucky that the torture won't have to go on longer than I had originally planned."

She had bitten down into my neck and was draining out the venom, and my blood. I wouldn't have a second chance this time.

"_Jasper_!" He was coming. The only question was if he would get here in time.

**OK, my dear readers, a few announcements. First, I have started a blog. Yes, me, the technology deficient one. It's at reader13lovesbooks (dot) blogspots (dot) com. Of course, don't type (dot) in the URL bar. Type . **

**Next announcements! I got some money as congratulations, and I have been debating between two objects. One is the Kindle from , which sounds AMAZING, though it costs way too much. The other is a Wacom tablet, the intuos4 preferrably. There's intuos3, but I've heard that intuos4 is much better. I wanted to get a medium at first, but it's about 48 square inches, which is half the size of a normal paper, which I'm used to. So I want the large, and I've been looking for discounts, but I want to know if it's worth it (and if you can color on it!!!). If you own a Kindle or intuos4 or know someone who does, could you tell me about it? Thank you!!! And yes, extended preview for credible information. (Hmm...giving out lots of extended previews these days...bribery LOL)  
**

**Review = preview.  
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	40. So, We Meet Again

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to ReDish, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, k-pattttttttz, keiraliz, Patastic, jazzie-luvs, -me-22, Homegrl aka Amanda, AliceCullenInWonderland, prettykitty8694, hermonine, twilightlovr611, Mznickwhite, cms92843, Pika00, hidinginyoureyes, Fox's-Pen, VoldieBeth, Jasper-Is-Hot, DancingDemon, jalice-and-karrett, XXSkittlesXX, R2-D2106, Jazzy-kins, StantonDimitriCullen, TabithaAbraham, xXxNIAMHxXx, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, The Day We Fell In Love, SkyBones, iluvshim, MALICIOUSteddy, FantasyMind1, KatKalamity, Stephycats7785, ellie, KCcrazy, jasperandalice17, Jasper-Is-Hot, MaleficentKnits, draco-harry-SarcasticSadist, vamp-lover513, discokiller, Charlotte1993, wolfgirl404, Alice Mary Brandon, Undecoded, KCcrazy, rmw8855, Alice Sweett, and Twili-Wolfboy.**

So, We Meet Again

Alice POV

Have you ever had someone suck all of your blood out?

No, I suppose you haven't.

Let me tell you - it's not the most pleasant of experiences. It makes you feel light-headed. Weak.

Victoria dropped me. I lay down on the ground, groaning. I could just barely see a head of honey blond hair.

Jasper.

Victoria had no chance. Jasper's eyes were black with fury as he launched himself repeatedly at her. Each time, she was falling more and more apart. He wrenched her arm off, making a horrible, loud, screeching sound of metal.

Paul had taken care of the blond newborn, and was watching as Jasper fought Victoria, searching for an entrance into the fight. But Jasper was done. He tossed a lit match onto a pile of dead branches and leaves, and began to throw the pieces in. Paul dumped the newborn's pieces into the fire.

I slowly sat up and hissed in pain. Jasper's eyes flashed over to me as he raced over, leaving Paul to finish cleaning up. "Alice, what happened?" He scanned over the bite marks on my arms and my neck. "She actually did this to you?"

I nodded. He picked me up and gently carried me in his arms. The coolness of his body was a blissful relief, after all of the flash fires that had raced up my arms.

Paul paused as he stared at the trees. He barked and raced away.

"What's going on?" My words were slurred. The pain was getting to be too much for me.

"Sleep, Alice. Rest, my beautiful little pixie," Jasper whispered as a wave of lethargy washed over me.

* * *

I woke up sometime later. It had just turned dark. We were in the baseball clearing, which had several fires lit up around it and giving off the smell of painfully sweet incense.

I sat up, groaning. Jasper raced over to me. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. There was a little whining noise, and I looked over. There was a newborn vampire in the clearing. She was a girl, maybe fifteen or so, with dark chin-length hair and bright red eyes. She was staring hungrily at me.

"She surrendered," Carlisle said.

The girl wailed. "How can you resist it? I want her!"

"You must learn to control the bloodlust," Carlisle replied firmly. The girl whimpered, her fingers scrabbling against the ground.

"The Volturi are coming. That's why we sent all of the wolves away," Edward told me. "The Volturi don't approve of alliances with werewolves."

I nodded. Then we waited. I blinked, and a second later, the figures in gray cloaks were approaching us.

Jane was in the front. "Hmm. Interesting," she said in a tone that told me that she was clearly not interested at all.

Her conversation with Carlisle and Edward was tuned out of my mind as I felt someone else's stare on me. I looked around. There, in the back of the group, was Demetri. His eyes met mine, and the corner of his mouth turned upward.

Jasper snarled near silently as he shifted me around in his arms, so that I was out of Demetri's view.

Jane had turned to the newborn. "You there. What's your name?" She merely glared at her. Jane smiled serenely, and the girl shrieked in pain.

"Bree," she gasped.

"Bree. Tell me, who was your creator?"

"I don't know!" she wailed. "It was dark when it happened, and Riley was always the one who spoke with us."

"Riley?"

"He was destroyed, along with the leader," Edward replied, his eyes flickering over to Jasper. So that had been the name of the blond newborn.

"How many of you were there?"

"Twenty, a couple more, a couple less, I'm not sure." Bree flinched, as if certain that her lack of knowledge would cause another wave of pain to overcome her.

"What was your creator's purpose?"

"Riley just told us that there were some strange yellow-eyes living here, and we had to destroy them or be killed ourselves. He said that it would be easy! And he said that whoever first got here could have her." Bree pointed at me. "And if there was another human girl with brown hair here, too, then we could also have her."

"Well, you know the punishment of breaking the rules, don't you?"

"Please. She's new to this life," Carlisle protested. "She can learn. We promised her that we wouldn't destroy her if she surrendered."

"That wasn't a promise for you to give." Jane nodded. "Felix?"

The large vampire stepped forward. I buried my face in Jasper's chest as I heard the screeching of metal, and then another wave of incense.

"Well, it's not often that we have nothing to do," Jane announced. "Aro will be most interested to learn that you're still human, Alice."

"We have a date for her change set, along with Bella's," Carlisle replied.

"Then we will hold you up to that promise." Jane turned back towards me. "Aro still extends his invitation to join the Volturi to you." She scowled for some reason. "He told us to ask you if you have changed your mind and would like to join."

"I'm sorry, but no. When I become a vampire, I plan on staying with my family," I replied politely.

"Aro will be most disappointed to hear of your reply." Jane motioned to the other cloaked figures. "Come on, let's go. I want to get back home now."

"It was nice to see you again, Alice. I look forward to seeing you again very soon." Demetri chuckled as he slipped into the shadows with the others.

We all turned to Edward. He grimaced.

"Jasper, I really don't envy you right now. You have even more competition."

"That mutt doesn't count as competition. All he has is a harmless crush on my Alice. It's not something obsessive, like Black's."

Edward frowned. "Yes, that might be true. But you can't exactly say the same for Demetri."

"He won't get Alice."

"You'd be surprised. He's a tracker. He can track down Alice to wherever she is."

"James was a tracker, and he wasn't that good."

"That's because James used scent to track down his targets. Demetri uses thought waves. Which means that it's useless against Bella, but on Alice…"

"He can find me, no matter where I go."

**Hmm. Bad chapter. Before someone reviews, don't go "This chapter wasn't very good." Because I know that.**

**Let's see, my rambles of the update...**

**I got a bamboo tablet, from WACOM. It's like the intuos4 I mentioned. Only much cheaper. And not professional.**

**My book recommendation is The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. T.T**

**I cut my hair off today for Locks of Love. Supposed to be only ten inches, but we didn't have a ruler, so the hair cuttery lady cut off a foot. T.T again. **

**Happy news! I have developed a Lord of the Rings obsession. I watched the movies (Peter Jackson version) first, and am starting on the books. I have to admit, I like the movies better so far. Shocker.**

**To any other LOTR fans out there - if anyone knows just how an elf becomes mortal, PLEASE let me know. And you have to tell me where you got the information from, be it a website or chapter/page number in the books. The first person who gives me credible information (and source) gets an extended preview. So this time, really, only one person gets the extended preview.**

**More LOTR rambling! WARNING, SPOILERS. Sorry, but none of my friends have watched/read it, so I'm releasing my excitement here. My favorite pairing is Eowyn/Faramir, even though they barely get any couple time in the movies. I think Pippin and Merry are awesome (Hobbits kick ass). In the book, Frodo is supposed to be 50. In the movie, he looks 20. I like Movie Frodo better. I think Elvish is a more beautiful language than English but I really can't be bothered to learn it (if you look it up, you'd probably agree). I wish Eomer and Faramir had beaten the !!!! out of Wormtongue. Ghosts are cool. And peoples...DON'T STEAL ANOTHER GIRL'S GUY. **

**That is all.**

**Review = preview.  
**


	41. Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to prettykitty8694, jazzyjonasluvr, TabithaAbraham, Mznickwhite, justanotherditzyredhead, AliceJasperIsLove, Stephycats7785, Homegrl aka Amanda, my name is jb, SkyBones, XXSkittlesXX, Winter Gleam, StantonDimitriCullen, FantasyMind1, KatKalamity, BSF16, NOOO!, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, The Day We Fell In Love, the anonymous reviewer with two names (Kris doesn't suck – I just like Adam better), Twili-Wolfboy, LittleMissAliceCullen, iluvshim, R2-D2106, AmberlynotKimberly, jasperandalice17, MALICIOUSteddy, TWOWORDSEDWARDCULLEN, jazzie-luvs-me-22, Tanya, Prue, Nara, Viana, jalice-and-karrett, xXxNIAMHxXx, Daniz1500, KCcrazy, VoldieBeth, redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR, xFender'sGirlx, Alice Mary Brandon, AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!, neji447, SnapeGIRL1234, M, cookie_luvr99, and wolfgirl404.**

Speak Now, or Forever Hold Your Peace

Alice POV

August thirteenth.

That was the day that Edward and Bella would be getting married. That was the day when Bella would officially become my sister. It was the reason why I was racing all about the house, making phone calls and preparations. Perrine Bruyere _did_ have a very long waiting list for wedding dresses.

Every once in a while, when I was in the middle of running around, Jasper would surprise me by grabbing me out of the air and kissing me before setting me back down. Needless to say that I enjoyed these surprises.

And I was in a much better mood, because Rachel Black had come home. And Paul had imprinted on her. Now he left me alone. Thank God.

But, unfortunately, Jacob Black was still AWOL. Edward had sent him a wedding invitation, and he had run away. I wonder if my brother did that on purpose.

No, Edward's not like that... He knows that it hurt Bella when she heard that he went missing. And he hates himself when she's hurt, even if he wasn't the cause of it.

It was time for Edward's bachelor party. He was at Bella's house (again), so Jasper and Emmett had to go now to bring him out hunting. I wanted to do a bachelorette party, but Bella would have none of that.

Speaking of weddings…

Would Jasper ever propose to me? Or would he wait until after my transformation? When _was_ I going to be changed?

I shook these questions out of my mind and continued my work. Then Esme made me go to bed, lest I drop from exhaustion on Bella's big day. I still woke up very early the next morning. I had to go get Bella, after all, even though Rosalie or Esme could've gotten her instead.

Bella looked tired when I sat her down in front of the vanity. "Ugh…"

"Bella, at least try to look alive!" I complained. "We don't want you resembling a zombie on the biggest day of your life, now do we?"

After she changed into her dress, I carefully applied her makeup and combed her hair thoroughly, and then slid the two hair combs that Charlie and Renée had given to Bella under some braids. I arranged the veil around her head and smiled at my amazing creation.

"Voila! And, lo and behold, _Bella Swan_!"

Bella looked up into the mirror, and I heard a sharp intake of breath coming from her. "What…"

We were running out of time.

"Come on, Bella, it's time to go!" I rushed outside to change into my own dress. It was a silver bridesmaid's dress – strapless and ankle-length.

I was the only bridesmaid, actually. I walked down the stairs before Bella, smiling. I could feel people staring at me as I walked by. But my only focus was on Jasper, who was hovering about near Edward.

I stood at my spot as Bella and Charlie came down, and I felt a surge of pride when people gasped in and muttered in appreciation at Bella.

Yeah, I was good.

"I do."

"I do."

Mr. Weber declared them husband and wife. Edward started the kiss. I stifled a giggle when Bella clung onto him. I don't think Charlie looked very happy.

Then the reception started. Seth was the only werewolf to come. When Bella and Edward threw cake at each other, my brother actually swallowed his piece. I smiled as I remembered my third birthday, when I made Emmett eat cake. Then something landed in my arms. I stared at Bella's bouquet that I was now holding. I blushed as everyone cheered, and peered over at Jasper, who was smiling happily.

Later, Edward was using his _teeth_ as he removed Bella's garter. Emmett and Jasper howled with laughter as she blushed, and Edward launched the garter right at Mike Newton's face. Sweet, sweet revenge.

I was avoiding Tyler Crowley when a cold hand gently stopped me. "May I have a dance with the bridesmaid?" Jasper murmured into my ear. I beamed and nodded my head.

We stayed at the side as he twirled me around. My dress spun out around me. Then Jasper stopped, alert. "There's something going on outside. Wait here, okay?" He kissed my forehead, and he and Emmett raced outside.

I sat down by the refreshment table. Rosalie was walking by. "What happened?" I asked.

"Jacob Black is here," she hissed before gliding off. I sighed and looked around. Something caught my eye.

There were glasses of champagne on the table right next to me. I picked up one of the flutes and stared at the golden liquid inside as it swished around. I glanced around. No one was watching me. I took a sip.

It tasted odd… sweet… It made me feel a bit dizzy. But it was good. I downed the glass. Then another. Then another. I could see why some people were alcoholics. But I wasn't an alcoholic. No sirree… The sensible part of me was wondering why none of my family had gotten to me yet. Probably the Jacob thing outside. Or something. I started to plot a horrible, gruesome death for Tyler when my planning was interrupted.

"Alice? What are you doing?" a distorted voice asked me worriedly.

I smiled. "Jazzy!" I blinked. Jasper here... Jasper there... Jasper everywhere! "Where are you? Why are there so many of you?" The room was spinning. Since when had our house become a giant spin top thingy? Something cold touched my face. The room stopped spinning. "Aw, ride's over," I sighed sadly.

"I'm taking you to bed, Alice," Jasper said as he led me back to the house. I giggled. The way that he said it made it sound very… well, you know.

"Guess what? We're going to get married." My voice was starting to slur.

"Of course we are, love." I was set down on something soft. Bed.

I kicked off my shoes and plopped down.

He sat back down on the bed and wrapped my blankets around me in a cocoon. "Good night, sweet Alice." He kissed me.

"I loooooooooove you, Jazzy."

"I love you, too."

I cuddled up against him as my eyes drooped shut. Jasper began to sing quietly. "_O, I wish I was in the land of cotton, old times there are not forgotten. Look away! Look away! Look away! Dixie Land. In Dixie Land where I was born_…"

I could still hear his beautiful voice as I drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up, confused with a hangover, wondering why I was thinking about carnival rides and conspiracies.

**Hmm... Seeing as I've never been drunk before (or even drank alcohol before), I can't write out a drunk person. Especially not a drunk Alice. So I just based it on what other fanfictions say, even though fanfics aren't exactly the most reliable sources of information. **

**...But I still _had_ to put a drunk Alice in here somewhere...**

**Anyway... **

**Saw Riverdance. STILL AWESOME.**

**Going to NYC soon :D**

**Probably going to San Francisco while my brother's stuck at home because he has to take driving lessons XD**

**Upset because they're filming The Hobbit movie and all LOTR movies have been recalled, so I couldn't get any T.T**

**...Well, I'm fresh out of random things to say.  
**

**Review = Preview  
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	42. It is Said That the Present

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to XOXO-RaNdoM-pIxIE-OXOX, cookie_luvr999, Mznickwhite, Brittlovestwilght, Stephycats7785, prettykitty8694, iluvshim, hermonine, TabithaAbraham, xFender'sGirlx, ReDish, Jazzy-kins, VoldieBeth, Barb13, Alice Mary Brandon, braniac-twilight-addict, The Day We Fell In Love, Beatrice [:, Jane Graham, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, R2-D2106, BSF16, SkyBones, Fox's-Pen, XOXOPanicAttack, KCcrazy/AJperky, KatKalamity, MALICIOUSteddy, StantonDimitriCullen, MUSICLUVR0802, jasperandalice17, linda, lamlyesha, jazzie-luvs-me-22, AliceJasperIsLove, keiraliz, .Vampires, DescendingWolves, neji447, Homegrl aka Amanda, xXxNIAMHxXx, hidinginyoureyes, ashley, Loves-to-blame, The First Egg. The Last Elk, and -Jalice1517-.**

**The helicopter issue: I got a new one. But I thank these people for suggesting ideas: jazzie-luvs-me-22, AmberlynotKimberly, Marrabelle, Amylove210, Megan-Whitlock, ShortyAlice, GraffitiDreamz, twilight-jasper's the best, Undecoded, kkleia, Twili-Wolfboy, AliceJasperIsLove, fighter419, Bobo's Girl, Pie, jb, Katie-Ann-Cullen, CuttlefishRock, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, k-pattttttttz, C, Alice'sGrandTheftAuto, xFender'sGirlx, cms92843, KCcrazy (my favorite suggestion), VintazgeR, Stephycats7785, Shadowed Ember, Splenda, flutterby-whisper, and The First Egg. The Last Elk. **

It is Said that the Present is Pregnant With the Future

Alice POV

My visions were starting to hurt again. They all began with a brief flash of Bella's face in pain, and then my head would start to ache.

Edward and Bella were due to come back from their honeymoon soon. They had decided to come home early, for reasons that they had chosen not to mention, though Rosalie seemed to know more than we did – more than even Carlisle did.

I was sitting on the airport seat. My head was slightly hurting. Then I caught a glimpse of bronze hair. I looked just a little bit to the right, and saw Bella standing next to Edward.

My jaw dropped.

Her stomach was… bulging. It looked like she was knocked up. But they had barely been gone for a _week_. She already looked like she was a few months pregnant!

What the hell?

My head began to throb even more as they came closer. I winced and leaned against Jasper.

Everyone else was staring at Bella in shock. Finally, Carlisle managed to speak. "How…?"

"I don't know," Edward muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But we have to get rid of it before it seriously hurts Bella."

"_No_," someone hissed.

We all turned to stare at Rosalie. She glided forward and stood protectively in front of Bella.

"You are not getting rid of this baby," she said in a low voice.

"Rosalie, will you stop being so selfish!" Edward growled. His eyes were darkening, and I realized now that this was one of the moments where he truly looked like a vampire. "This thing could kill Bella, and all you care about is getting the baby that comes from it!"

"The baby's a living being, too!"

"And so is Bella!"

"Please, stop fighting," Esme pleaded.

"It's hurting Bella already. It's kicked her. She's bruising," Edward continued. "I can't let this keep on happening."

"No. Don't get rid of my baby," Bella whispered.

"What?" We all stared at her in shock.

"I don't want to get rid of my baby. The baby's a living being. I love him already."

"We'll talk more about this at home," Carlisle interrupted. "This isn't exactly the right place or time to be discussing about something like this."

As soon as we got back home, I ran up to the attic and sat on a rickety old rocking chair, grabbing my head. It seemed that the farther away that I was from Bella, then the less my head hurt. What was this strang half-vampire baby going to do to our family?

Edward himself had ended up calling Jacob Black over to help him try to convince Bella to get rid of the baby. But Bella wouldn't budge. She wanted the baby. She'd even picked out names for it… him… her… already, for god's sake.

If it was a boy, then his name would be Edward Jacob – EJ for short.

If it was a girl, then her name would be Renesmee Carlie. I had to admit that it was a rather clever play on words, even though it was a very unusual name. She had combined Renée's name and Esme's name to create Renesmee, and then she had combined Carlisle's name and Charlie's name to create Carlie. But it would be a very big mouthful. If the baby was a girl, then we were definitely going to give her a nickname, too.

But Bella was already dead certain that it would be a boy, although I wasn't so sure about that.

* * *

So many changes had been made. Bella was now drinking only human blood as sustenance. It was the donated kind that you got at a blood drive, but it still slightly disturbed me, though not too much. After all, I was going to be drinking blood some day, too. I'd have to get used to it.

* * *

Edward could hear the baby's thoughts now. The baby loved to hear the sound of Bella's voice. The baby loved her.

* * *

Jacob Black lurked around the house now, too. I had laughed when Rosalie had come out of the kitchen with a bowl in the shape of a dog's dish. Then he threw it at her hair. I remember quickly walking out of the room to avoid her temper.

* * *

My head hurt whenever I was near Bella, so, unfortunately, I had to stay away from her a lot. My favorite hiding place was the attic. Jasper would join me most of the time, but he sometimes had to leave me to go hunting.

This whole situation was driving me crazy, insane. Why? Well, I sometimes found myself staring at the white plastic cup that Bella drank from – the cup that held the blood. And I sometimes found myself wondering what it would taste like. My hand would reach for it, but then there always seemed to be an interruption, a distraction, and my hand would snap back.

I also found myself hovering around where Jacob Black was. For some reason, it made my mind clear up. The visions would still be fuzzy and hazy, but it didn't hurt.

But I also usually tried to avoid him, so this was a minor dilemma.

Jasper would make the pain go away sometimes, but I'd send him away, because if he stayed too long, then he would start hurting, too. The overprotective fool (MY overprotective fool) always tried to take the whole burden onto himself.

The family had been split up. Bella and Rosalie were all for keeping the baby. Emmett had been uncertain, but he decided to side with Rosalie. He would never do anything to hurt her. Pushover. Well, love made us all pushovers, so I suppose that he's excused.

Edward and Carlisle were for getting rid of the baby, though it was a bit too late for that now. Esme was neutral, but I'm pretty sure that if she did decide to choose a side, then Carlisle would follow her.

Jasper was on whatever side I was on – which was neutral. How could I choose to risk my friend's life? But then again, how could I choose to kill something that she loved?

The other werewolves were getting ready to attack soon. They had heard about the baby, and were afraid of what danger it would pose on the people in Forks and La Push. Seth and Leah had left the pack and joined Jacob's – if that were possible, which, apparently, it was.

I couldn't imagine myself in Bella's position. Choose my life, or my baby's life? I don't know. All I needed was Jasper. And that was enough to last me for an eternity.

**In case you didn't read the bolded part at the top, I got a new helicopter. Thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions. And I just got back from New York City (yes, I actually DID go to NYC this time). Yeah, it was fun, but...**

**I saw this sign... about the '09 Toyota Concert Series... and GODDAMMIT THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS ARE GOING TO NEW YORK _NEXT WEEK_ ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!**

**Life is so cruel to me sometimes. I JUST MISSED my favorite band... And I want to go to the Harry Potter 6 midnight movie premiere with my friend but my chances are low because I'm only allowed if my brother wants to go, too... and that's very unlikely. :P**

**OK, done venting. Sorry about that. Now my friends have some things to say.**

**Mangobunny255 (my friend who's going to the premiere): That sucks... -pats my shoulder consolingly-**

**Chemi: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??? THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS ARE WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??? (she loves them more than I do, believe it or not)**

**Jojo: Uh... sorry? (she likes JoJo - the singer - better, thus explaining her nickname)**

**reader13: -sobs uncontrollably- I STILL LOVE YOU, ALL AMERICAN REJECTS!!! That means Tyson Ritter, Nick Wheeler, Mike Kennerty, and Chris Gaylor. I LOVE YOU GUYSSSSSSSSS, BUT WHY DON'T YOU EVERY COME AROUND HEREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?????????????????????????**

**Chemi: THEY'RE WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??? I'M ON A WHOLE DIFFERENT CONTINENT!!! THIS SUCKS!!!**

**reader13: Yes, it does.**

**Chemi: I WANNA SEE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!**

**reader13: So do I, WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!**

**Jojo: What are they doing?**

**Mangobunny255: Where have you been for the past year? They do this practically everyday.**

**Jojo: Before or after they try to kill me?**

**Mangobunny255: I think it's spontaneous... but it's usually during science. And then they also vent by chucking painful objects at Bob and Mo.**

**Jojo: That sounds fun.**

**reader13: It is.**

**Jojo: I thought you were crying your guts out?**

**Chemi: We are. WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! **

**reader13: WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!**

**Mangobunny255: ...I'm gonna go eat some cookies.**

**Jojo: Ooh, I'll have some, too. Bye, everybody. **

**Review = preview.  
**


	43. I Don't Know Nothin'

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to goldeneyedfanpire, The Day We Fell In Love, keiraliz, Mznickwhite, Aussie-Aussie-Aussie, The Last Eggs. The First Elk, xFender'sGirlx, hidinginyoureyes, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, pureambitionwriting, Masochistic Lion8, xXxNIAMHxXx, TabithaAbraham, twilight-jasper's the best, MALICIOUSteddy, iluvshim, prettykitty8694, -Jalice1517-, hermonine, DancingDemon, cutegirl03, Stephycats7785, StantonDimitriCullen, Homegrl aka Amanda, Goddess-Divine-05, coffee14, jazzie-luvs-me-22, KatKalamity, happy makes the world go round, VoldieBeth, XOXOPanicAttack, BSF16, SkyBones, and redheads-have-more-fun-HPLVR.**

I Don't Know Nothin' About Birthin' No Babies!

Alice POV

It had been nearly a month since Edward and Bella had come home from Isle Esme. I was feeling so ashamed that I had been avoiding talking to my best girl friend in such a long period of time, just to make myself feel better.

"Please?" I begged, widening my eyes and pouting.

Edward shook his head. "No. I am _not_ leaving you alone with Bella, not when she's in this state."

"Come on, Edward, won't you let your favorite sister have just a few hours alone to chat with her best girl friend?" I pleaded.

"Edward, it can't hurt," Carlisle finally sighed. "It's about time that we went hunting, anyways. All of us."

"Oh, and please, take Jacob with you," I added.

Edward frowned. "No. I'm not leaving Bella alone with only Alice."

"Are you saying that I'm not capable of taking care of her?" I demanded, my anger rising.

"No, I'm – well…"

"Exactly," I replied smugly. But I was still insulted that he thought so little of me.

The house cleared of all vampires and werewolves, leaving only me, my best girl friend, Bella, and her half-vampire baby that wasn't yet born.

* * *

I handed her another cup of blood. "I'm sorry for not talking to you in almost a month, Bella."

"It's okay. I know that you hurt when you get near me." She took a sip then groaned. "I'm _huge_. I just –"

Bella twitched and vomited blood – lots and lots of it.

I screamed. Today _was_ a bad day to be alone. I picked up the phone and hurriedly dialed Carlisle's number.

"Hello?"

"CARLISLE!"

"What happened?"

"I – I – I THINK BELLA'S GOING INTO LABOR!"

He swore. I stared at the mouthpiece. Carlisle never swore. "Where are you?"

"Bella's on the couch. WHAT DO I DO?" At any moment, I was probably going to start running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

"Carlisle, what's happening?" Edward's muffled voice asked. Carlisle answered him. Edward cussed. I thought Bella was supposed to be the hormonal one.

"Get morphine, now! And get an earpiece for this," Carlisle ordered. I obeyed.

"Morphine."

"Inject it into Bella with the syringe." I did so. Bella was still thrashing about. Her skin seemed purple and white. There was a huge, shuddering bulge in her stomach. I hoped I didn't get sick.

"Let the morphine spread. Get a scalpel, quickly! We're running home right now. Just stay on the phone, Alice."

I searched for the scalpel, pulling it out. "Okay, what do I do?" Something snapped. "Bella – her spine!" I gasped. "And her face is turning blue!"

"CPR, now!"

I took a deep breath as I summoned all of my memories from health class. Thank god that CPR was part of the curriculum, and that I wasn't half-asleep that day.

"Bella shouldn't be able to feel anything now. Get it out of her, now!"

I took the scalpel and inhaled deeply.

"Just relax, Alice. Make an incision right at the edge of her bladder. You know where it is, right?"

"Yeah, I do." When you have a doctor for a dad...

I took a deep breath and carefully made the cut. Blood was dripping onto the floor. It wouldn't cut thoroughly. "Carlisle, the scalpel isn't cutting all the way in!"

"We're nearly there, Alice. Just keep Bella breathing!" Carlisle shouted.

Bella was screaming. "Get him out, Alice, GET HIM OUT!"

"I'm trying!" I sobbed. I couldn't do this! How the hell was I supposed to keep her alive? I had to. I needed something sharper. Then it hit me. I raced out of the living room and towards Rosalie's room.

I opened her jewelry box and pulled out one of her diamond earrings with the really sharp end. It wasn't as strong as vampire teeth or anything, but it would have to do. I raced back downstairs, praying that I could do this.

"Carlisle, I have a diamond earring with a sharp end. Is that enough?"

"You have to try, Alice! Make the cut again!"

I gripped the blade and pushed down with all my might. I barely managed to make it through. There was so much blood. I swallowed the bile in my mouth, braced myself, and reached my hands in, pulling out the baby and cutting the umbilical cord. I took a deep breath and then sighed in relief.

It was a girl. "Renesmee," I whispered.

"Giver… her… to me," Bella managed to croak. I wrapped the baby up in a blanket and handed it to her. Then Bella gasped. There was a bite mark on her chest. I quickly took the baby from her, but still making sure that she wasn't close enough to bite me.

"It's a girl," I whispered.

Carlisle sighed. "How's Bella?"

"She's losing a lot of blood. Too much of it," I replied sadly.

"Edward, did you put it in there? Alright, Alice. In the medical bag is a silver syringe. Set the baby down on the armchair, and make sure that the head is supported."

I did so – very carefully. "Okay. I have the syringe."

"It has Edward's venom in it. Inject into her neck, her wrists, her arms, major arteries – and quickly!"

I took a deep breath. Bella was going to be a vampire when she woke up. Would I be unable to see or talk to her for a whole year? Perhaps more? But I brought the syringe down to her wrist and injected it. I did it to her other wrist, her ankles, and then finally her neck.

I wasn't going to let her die, just for my friendship. And I was a bad friend if I didn't do this.

I took a deep breath and sighed as the venom began to spread. Bella didn't scream. That was odd… but I wasn't a vampire, so how would I know?

I turned to the baby and gently picked her up. She was beautiful – she had bronze colored hair, like Edward. I picked up a towel and carefully cleaned her off. She squirmed and opened her eyes. They were a rich, chocolate brown – just like Bella's.

Renesmee Carlie Cullen was beautiful.

I placed her on my lap and just sat there on the floor, staring into space while Bella went through what must be the most painful experience of her life. Renesmee had pressed her hand against my cheek. I gasped when her thoughts came rushing at me – of Bella, of _me_.

I stared at the wall. My hair was frazzled and in disarray. My skin and clothes were covered in blood. There was a half-vampire baby in my arms. My best girl friend was lying unconscious on the living room couch.

That was how the rest of my family found me when they finally made it home.

**-coughs-**

**Ahem.**

**...**

**Yeah... I have no comment on this.**

**Except for one that's completely unrelated - the All-American Rejects concert is tomorrowwwwwwwww T.T **

**I always miss everything. It's like when I was eight and I was invite to three birthday parties but could only go to one of them. **

**On the other hand, I DID get to see the Harry Potter midnight movie premiere (whoop). Loved it. My friend, Mangobunny, and I made very... random, comments. Very quietly, of course, or some of the other moviegoers would've been very mad at us for interrupting the movie.**

**Mangobunny saw a picture of Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), seeing as he's changed a lot from the first few movies and is now a fangirl! During the movie, whenever he came on, she kept on staring at the screen and didn't move, even if she had popcorn in her mouth.**

**I poked her. She only moved if I poked her face.**

**Some random comments we made:**

**Mangobunny: Stop acting so gay.**

**Mangobunny: He's so sexyyyyyyyyyyyy (about Tom Felton).**

**And, my all time favorite - **

**Me: Horny Harry! XD (Seriously. He is.)**

**Anyway, I'll leave you lovely peoples - OH WAIT!!! One more thing. (Guess where that quote is from)**

**I have two more stories. One's a Lord of the Rings Oneshot about a Mary-Sue named (of course) Mary-Sue, just because I couldn't be bothered to find another name. The other is, well, a collection of drabbles, I suppose, in poetry/song form, in variations of beloved nursery rhymes. So far, a variation of Jack and Jill is up.**

**Review = preview.  
**


	44. Every Baby Needs a Lap

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to Mznickwhite, keiraliz, VoldieBeth, xFender'sGirlx, jazzie-luvs-me-22, justanotherditzyredhead, SkyBones, hidinginyoureyes, hermonine, The Day We Fell In Love, wednesdayshearts, Aussie-Aussie-Aussie, TabithaAbraham, AmberlynotKimberly, XOXOPanicAttack, DancingDemon, AliceJasperIsLove, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, prettykitty8694, StantonDimitriCullen, iluvshim, iregretit, Randomenated-Cullen, Britt-Toe Doc, The Last Eggs. The First Elk, jasperandalice17, xXxNIAMHxXx, xox hyper lil pixie xox, Stephycats7785, Uchiha'sGirl-SadisticPlotbunny, Charlotte1993, animelover4343, KatKalamity, appura-chan, twilight lover, and Beatrice xD.**

Every Baby Needs a Lap

Alice POV

Someone had taken Renesmee out of my arms. Someone had led me upstairs, to the bathroom. Someone had started a bath for me. Someone had helped me into the bathtub.

My mind was clearer now, now that I was getting over the shock. The bath was filled with lavender scented bubbles. I sighed and dunked my hair in the water, scrubbing my face and my skin.

I pulled on my pajamas and went to my room, curling up on my bed in a bundle of blankets. I closed my eyes. Helping your best friend give birth could be very exhausting. I heard the door open.

"Alice."

"Jazz," I sighed happily.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine. Just peachy keen. How's Bella?"

"She's still having her transformation. She hasn't made a single sound of movement."

"Interesting."

"And the werewolf imprinted on Renesmee."

My eyes flew open. "What?"

"It's true. He and Rosalie are now fighting over who gets to spend more time with Renesmee. He's even started to call her Nessie now."

"Oh." That was all that I could say. Jasper lied down beside me. I took his hand.

"How hard was it, to have to see Bella like that?"

"It was very hard. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to do it, that she would die right in front of me. But she's okay now…"

"She is."

"What did Rosalie do with the diamond earring?"

Jasper chuckled. "Well, even though she never wears those earrings anymore, she saw that since it had been so useful today, she just cleaned it very thoroughly and is saving it for another day, just in case."

"That's… nice?" Wow. A memento of the hardest day of my life so far. Yay me.

I was getting sleepy, but I struggled to stay awake. "You should rest, Alice. You need it." I got even sleepier - courtesy of Jasper - and finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Bella was now in Carlisle's study, where Edward had refused to move from. I quickly searched for something nice that Bella could wear, and found a blue dress. Just the color that Edward liked on her.

Rosalie and Jacob were currently in a heated debate of who would get to hold Renesmee now. She was looking bored as she sat in Rosalie's arms. I blinked and stared again. She had been born just a few hours ago, yet she was looking like she was about a month old already.

All that morphine must have gotten to my head.

Renesmee caught sight of me and beamed, reaching her little arms out for me. She made a little happy noise.

"I guess she wants you," Rosalie sighed sadly as she placed her in my arms.

Jasper smiled down at Renesmee. "No offense to the little lady," he said to her, "but I still think that my Alice was an even more beautiful baby."

I smiled and looked down at Renesmee. She placed her hand on my cheek again. She was thinking about Bella. She wanted her mother. But she was also happy to see me, the first person that she had seen when she was born.

She gently touched one of the silvery half moon scars on my neck. She was wondering what they were and how they had gotten there. I merely smiled and shook my head. I wouldn't be telling her the story today.

Carlisle was coming over with a measuring tape. "Sorry, Alice, but do you mind? She's just growing so fast that I'm taking very careful measurements about every hour."

I nodded and passed Renesmee to him. She sighed, looking bored again as Carlisle quickly measured her. He didn't record anything. He didn't need to, what with his perfect vampire memory.

"Fascinating," he murmured as he handed Renesmee back to me.

Emmett came into the room, grinning. "So, Carlisle, how does it feel to be a grandfather at only twenty three? Or maybe, I should say, _finally_ a grandfather at over three hundred plus years?"

Carlisle rolled his eyes as he smiled and headed to the next room. Renesmee seemed to be making everyone smile.

Emmett took her from me, looking at her curiously. She measured almost to the size of his forearm. "You know, Alice, when we found you, you could fit in the palm of my hand!"

"Nyeah." I stuck my tongue out at him. "Don't make fun of my size, you troll."

"Pixie."

"Ogre."

"Midget."

"Giant."

"Shrimp."

"Winnie the Pooh Bear."

Emmett gasped. "You take that back, you – you – short person!"

"Ha! I win. Again." I grinned, even though I knew that he had purposely done it. Renesmee was reaching for me again, so I picked her up. She placed her hand on my face. "Um… she's hungry."

"Oh. Here." Rosalie tossed a baby's bottle at me. There was a red liquid sloshing around inside of it. "She prefers to drink human blood than baby formula."

I looked at the other bottle of baby formula. Even to me it looked icky. I could see why Renesmee despised it. Did I actually used to drink that kind of goo?

* * *

The next day was fairly enjoyable, though I was constantly worrying about my friend in pain. Edward still hadn't budged from his spot beside Bella, but we had brought Renesmee up to him a few times, and he ended up humming lullabies to her. So cute. I had to take a picture.

* * *

"Jazzy?"

"Yes, Alice?"

"How long will it be until I get to see Bella again?"

"Probably about a year. Perhaps more."

"What did you and Emmett bet about yesterday?"

"Um…" He looked a bit uncomfortable now. "How many people Bella would kill in her first year."

"And what'd you bet?"

"…High."

I rolled my eyes and headed over to Renesmee's little closet. I couldn't wait until we could move it into the little cottage in the woods behind the house, where Edward and Bella would live. I picked out an adorable little sundress and went to change Renesmee.

She had been getting fussier and fussier, wanting her mother – Bella. She still had about a day left before she would wake up. I was supposed to leave before then.

"Bella!" I heard Edward cry out joyously from upstairs. There was a loud snarl, and something broke. Jasper sat up, alert. I handed Renesmee to Rosalie.

There were sounds of things hitting the walls and floor, until a blur flew down the stairs and launched itself right at me.

Bella had finished her transformation early.

I was staring at her bright red eyes, which were staring back hungrily at me.

**Ooh... Cliffie. **

**And I would like to say something! My birthday (Yes, reader13, who never tells ANYone ANYthing is going to tell you her birthday!) is on August 13th! Not telling you how old I'm turning, though. **

**Anyway, there will be a contest. This contest will be very... er... lax? I dunno. Participants write a story - oneshot or multi-chaptered is fine, but it must be completed by August 13th. You may choose from one of these categories: Twilight, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, Artemis Fowl, or CSI. The subject of the story should be about, of course, a birthday. (If you choose LOTR and you select an elf, it must be the begetting day.) Any and all pairings must be canon - except for Neville/Luna in Harry Potter, you may write about them, IF YOU WANT TO. If a canon character has no pairing, you may write one, but no Mary-Sues. If you don't know what a Mary-Sue is, look it up on urbandictionary (dot) com. **

**May not be rated M, unless you are absolutely sure that it is something TASTEFUL.**

**You must mention all of these somewhere in the story: cheese; bunny; pink. Not necessarily in that order, and they must fit in with the story.  
**

**When I get... hmm, pick a number... at least five stories submitted, I will create a community and post the story. Mention in either the summary or in an AN of the story that it is "reader13lovesbooks B-day contest", or something along those lines.**

**Now for the prize! I have the rest of the story planned out, BUT, there will be outtakes. Outtakes are either previous chapters written in another POV or another event that happened in the story but I didn't really elaborate on. Or it can be something that happens after the story ends. First place gets to pick what the first outtake is about, and gets a cameo in said outtake. Second place gets to pick what the second outtake is about.**

**The first place winner's story will also go under my "Favorite Stories". **

**It can be any genre you like, except tragedy and angst. Ruins the whole point of "Happy birthday."**

**That is all. If you actually read all of this, I thank you for enduring my Author's Notes. And anyone who participates in the contest gets an extended preview for the upcoming chapter that hasn't been posted after they submit their story.**

**Wow, yet another horrendously long AN.**

**Review = preview.  
**


	45. Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned

Alice

Disclaimer: Ego non operor usus Crepusculum. I have not taken official Latin lessons and am merely using an online translator, but, to all of you Latin scholars, please forgive me for butchering the language. And to all of you non-scholars of Latin – I'm pretty sure, based on all of the other disclaimers on every single other fanfiction on this site, you know what I'm talking about. If not – translate it yourself. XD Sorry if I'm acting bitchy. It's the middle of the night and I can't sleep…

**This chapter is dedicated to Mznickwhite, prettykitty8694, xLily, keiraliz, ChanelLove17, Britt-Toe Doc, The Day We Fell In Love, The Last Eggs. The First Elk, SkyBones, xXxNIAMHxXx, KatKalamity, jazzie-luvs-me-22, Aussie-Aussie-Aussie, TabithaAbraham, Fall's Breeze, animelover4343, XOXO-RaNdoM-pIxIE-OXOX, THIS IS NICOLE CULLEN, Homegrl aka Amanda, Lotte, Eleasor Cullen, StantonDimitriCullen, Rachh93, DancingDemon, VoldieBeth, vamp-lover513, Stephycats7785, jalice-and-karrett, AliceJasperIsLove, E-J99, nanaed95, cms92843, RandomnessAndAlii, Fox's-Pen, Katie-Ann-Cullen, Megan-Cullen 123, Demon Cello Lilin, hidinginyoureyes, appura-chan, Alice Mary Brandon, AllcEtheSUPERassassin, Patastic, and Brittlovestwilight.**

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned

Alice POV

Everyone in the room was stock still and silent. My eyes flitted around the room. Rosalie was standing there with Renesmee in her arms, shocked. Emmett was poised to attack, to grab Bella if he could. Esme had her hands clasped to her mouth. Carlisle still looked calm, observing the situation. Edward looked like he was getting ready to distract Bella. Jasper seemed to be formulating plans to get me out of here unharmed.

Then Renesmee made the sweetest little sound that I had ever heard.

"Mama."

Bella froze and looked up. At that exact moment, Emmett and Edward rushed forward, pulling her off of me. Jasper quickly grabbed me and ran out of the house.

He stopped at the La Push border and set me down gently on the ground, then sat next to me. I was still frozen, as if I was still in danger of being attacked by Bella. Which I probably was, if Edward and Emmett couldn't hold her down.

"Alice, it's alright. You'll be safe here."

I slowly nodded and closed my eyes. "So I really won't be able to see her for a whole year," I said sadly.

We sat in silence for a while. The quiet was broken when Jasper's cell phone rang. He quickly answered it. "Edward is taking Bella hunting now," Jasper murmured as he hung up and pulled me close. "We can go back now, if you want."

"Alright." Jasper picked me up again and ran back home.

"Are you okay?" Esme asked immediately, fussing over me.

"I'm fine." Rosalie was holding Renesmee, who looked up at me and smiled, placing her hand on my cheek. She wanted to know where Bella was. "Your mommy's okay. She'll be back soon."

* * *

Bella and Edward did come home soon. Jasper had placed himself in front of me, just in case Bella still wasn't in complete control. They were talking to Jacob. I couldn't hear their conversation, but Jasper could, and was repeating it to me.

"Jacob still doesn't trust Bella to be near Renesmee, not after what just happened."

"Does she know about the imprinting yet?"

"No, not _yet_. Oh, wait, she's found out. And… now she's attacking Jacob."

I stared as Bella launched herself at Jacob. But in the blink of an eye, a sandy colored blur had leapt out in front of him, and Bella hit him instead.

"Did she just hit Seth?" I asked Jasper while I looked outside concernedly. Seth looked like he was in pain.

"Yes, unfortunately."

The others were rushing outside now. Carlisle was bending over Seth, examining his shoulder. He was back in his human form. Emmett walked over and picked him up, bringing him inside the house.

Jasper quickly took me upstairs. "Extra precaution," he said.

I could still hear Bella. "I'm so sorry, Seth, I really didn't mean to hit you!"

Then she paused. Jasper stiffened slightly, looking ready to fight if she came up. But nothing happened. At least, not that I knew of.

"When can we go back down?" I asked Jasper.

"Edward says it's okay... if you don't get too close." We slowly went back downstairs.

Bella smiled at me, but still kept a good distance away. She didn't look like she was breathing. And Edward and Emmett were still hovering nearby. "Sorry about earlier, Alice."

"It's alright. It's only natural for you."

She nodded and looked back at Renesmee, who was reaching her arms out. We all watched warily as Bella took her. When it seemed like she would not do anything, we relaxed, though everyone else still seemed ready to snatch Renesmee back and subdue Bella if they had to.

Speaking of Renesmee... She now looked to be about six months old. Half vampires were very unusual, that was for sure.

Well, in my life, everything was unusual.

* * *

It had been a while since Bella's transformation. Renesmee now looked like a little toddler, around two or three years old. Her growth was slowing down, little by little every day. But I had to take everyone else's word for it, because I couldn't really tell.

Bella, Renesmee, and Jacob had gone out to hunt. They wanted to get Renesmee started on animal blood instead of just human blood. But they came back after seeing Irina. I thought that I had gotten a brief flash of her face in a vision, but I hadn't been very sure. Apparently, Irina had caught a glimpse of Renesmee and then turned around, running off.

* * *

Renesmee was developing way too quickly for me to be unalarmed. Just the other day, I had been walking around the living room when she had gotten up and imitated me perfectly. Needless to say, it freaked me out.

She was now speaking with the vocabulary of a thirteen year old, not someone who was only a mere few months old.

We couldn't even say if this was normal at all, because, for all we knew, she was the only one of our kind – though there were legends that said otherwise – and so we had no data to compare her results to. It frustrated Carlisle a bit to be 'blind'.

I caught sight of a bundle of tulips in one of the crystal vases. They were withered and dead. Usually, Esme would have long replaced them by now. But it was understandable that she had forgotten – though vampires never really did forget things – what with everything that we had to deal with now. I walked over and picked it up to take to the kitchen.

_Snow was falling, sticking to the ground, swirling in the air innocently. Then came the shadowy robed figures. So many of them. Their red eyes gleamed from beneath their hoods. They walked in a perfect procession as they approached us, on the other side of the baseball clearing, which would become a battlefield. They outnumbered us. Many were going to die, and most of them would be on our side.  
_

The vase slipped from my fingers and fell to the floor, shattering into a thousand glittering pieces.

"Alice, darling?" Jasper was at my side in an instant. Edward was staring at me in horror.

"But why?" my brother whispered. I shook my head. I didn't know. I only knew that what, not the when.

"What happened? What did you see?" Carlisle asked, standing up.

"The Volturi are coming," I whispered.

"Maybe they're coming to check that you and Bella are vampires," my father figure suggested.

"But if that's the reason why, then why would they bring the whole guard, including the wives?" Edward demanded.

"The wives? But they never leave their tower," Carlisle said, surprise on his face.

"Why would they come, if not to check up on us?" Bella asked worriedly. She was still in better control than a typical newborn, but I was never allowed anywhere near her alone, and even then I usually stayed a few feet away.

"What's happened since our last visit with the Volturi?" I asked.

"Renesmee?" Bella said, looking down at her daughter. "But why would they come for her? How do they know about her?"

"Irina," Edward replied. "You saw her that day, didn't you? Her 'mother' was killed because she had created an immortal child. And from a distance, that would be what Renesmee had looked like."

"She's not an immortal child!" Bella exclaimed as she picked Renesmee up.

"We know that," Jasper said grimly. "But the Volturi don't. And they'll do whatever it takes to stay in control, even if it means taking down the next largest coven in the world."

I wondered to what extents the Volturi was willing to go. They wanted control. Okay. If they kept destroying other vampires, there would be no one left to control.

Then I had a selfish thought. If my family was killed, what would happen to me? I would rather die than join them.

But I probably wouldn't get a choice.

**Ah, Volturi. Big fat meanies. Pbbbbbfffffhhhhtttt. Yeah, this chapter was harder to right. Looks like you guys hate Bella-is-in-control-as-a-newborn, which I get. But I had to give her SOME control, or Alice would be dead. Which would be bad.**

**Anyway, if anyone HAS decided to make me happy on my birthday by joining my contest -COUGH- if you have posted the story, tell me through review or PM so I can check it out.**

**Sorry for not updating in a while, but I've been trying out writing Lord of the Rings fanfiction (no, I don't have them all posted, just one very suckish parody I wrote in the middle of the night). AND I've been reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riodan.**

**Love. It.**

**Five books. I finished it in five days, funnily enough. Nico kicks ass.**

**Anyway, I saw one of the concerts on the American Idol LIVE 2009 tour. Adam and Kris both got the same amount of screaming, XD. There were those large TV screens they have in concerts so people far away can see, and every time Adam's face (or eyes) showed up on screen, people screamed. Like so.**

**Picture of T-shirt with vague Adam face - SCREAMMMMMMMMM**

**One of the Ford ads where they mix-matched the Idols' bodies and faces and Adam's eyes showed up in one weird combo - SCREAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM**

**Adam - SCREAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM**

**OKAY, changing the topic. One of my favorite parts was a recording after Kris won, and someone said, "What are you gonna do now?"**

**And he said, "I'm going to DisneyWorld!!!"**

**OH, one more thing. Soon after this update, I'll be putting up a one-shot "An Alphabet of Lord of the Rings". You don't have to have read the books or watched the movies to read it, although some of the jokes you might not get.  
**

**Done rambling. Remember, you have to tell me if you join my contest, or I won't know.**

**Review = preview.  
**


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